How gut microbiome influences asthma in babies?
The establishment of gut microbiomes is vital for normal immune development
- Shortly after birth, the gut microbiome develops similarly as that of the lung microbiome, i.e., by breathing or swallowing microorganisms.
The establishment of gut microbiomes is vital for normal immune development.
Antibiotics exposure:
- It decreases species that produce SCFA and butyrate, which are essential to regulate late host immunity
Caesarean section childbirth:
- Decreases Bacteroidetes population
Several clinical studies have evaluated the relationship between the composition of the gut microbiome and the incidence or prevalence of asthma in later childhood.
Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study
- Included 319 infants of 3 months of age
- Fecal samples collected and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed
Result:
- Decreased prevalence of Lachnospira, Veillonella, Faecalibacterium, and Rothia in children with increased asthma risk
- Babies with reduced fecal levels of LPS and SCFA acetate are associated with an increased risk of asthma
Other than bacteria, few studies have also focused on the role of fungi, also known as mycobiota.
US cohort clustering of fungal and bacterial community data
- Low relative abundance of Akkermansia, Bifidobacteria, and Faecalibacterium
- High relative abundance of Candida and Rhodotorula
- Infants were at increased risk for developing allergic responses when exposed to airborne substances
Abbreviations
LPS – lipopolysaccharides, SCFA – short-chain fatty acids
Reference
- White SR, Huang YJ. Chapter 5 - The Role of the Microbiome in Asthma Inception and Phenotype. In: The microbiome in respiratory disease: Principles, tools and applications. Cham, Switzerland: Humana Press; 2022. p. 85–146.
MAT-IN-2300707 v.1 03/2023
