Dataset Information

Diversity of the gut microbiota and eczema in early life.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:A modest number of prospective studies of the composition of the intestinal microbiota and eczema in early life have yielded conflicting results. OBJECTIVE:To examine the relationship between the bacterial diversity of the gut and the development of eczema in early life by methods other than stool culture. METHODS:Fecal samples were collected from 21 infants at 1 and 4 months of life. Nine infants were diagnosed with eczema by the age of 6 months (cases) and 12 infants were not (controls). After conducting denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of stool samples, we compared the microbial diversity of cases and controls using the number of electrophoretic bands and the Shannon index of diversity (H') as indicators. RESULTS:Control subjects had significantly greater fecal microbial diversity than children with eczema at ages 1 (mean H' for controls = 0.75 vs. 0.53 for cases, P = 0.01) and 4 months (mean H' for controls = 0.92 vs. 0.59 for cases, P = 0.02). The increase in diversity from 1 to 4 months of age was significant in controls (P = 0.04) but not in children who developed eczema by 6 months of age (P = 0.32). CONCLUSION:Our findings suggest that reduced microbial diversity is associated with the development of eczema in early life.

SUBMITTER: Forno E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2562383 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Diversity of the gut microbiota and eczema in early life.

Forno Erick E Onderdonk Andrew B AB McCracken John J Litonjua Augusto A AA Laskey Daniel D Delaney Mary L ML Dubois Andrea M AM Gold Diane R DR Ryan Louise M LM Weiss Scott T ST Celedón Juan C JC

Clinical and molecular allergy : CMA 20080922

<h4>Background</h4>A modest number of prospective studies of the composition of the intestinal microbiota and eczema in early life have yielded conflicting results.<h4>Objective</h4>To examine the relationship between the bacterial diversity of the gut and the development of eczema in early life by methods other than stool culture.<h4>Methods</h4>Fecal samples were collected from 21 infants at 1 and 4 months of life. Nine infants were diagnosed with eczema by the age of 6 months (cases) and 12 i ...[more]

PMID: 18808715

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Project description:The first few years of life is a key period for the development of the gut microbiome. However, our current understanding of this topic is largely biased toward Western populations. In this study, we characterized the development and determinants of the gut microbiome in a prospective cohort of 112 term Chinese children by sequencing 713 stool samples collected at nine time points from birth to 3 years of age using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We revealed alterations in the composition and alpha and beta diversities of the gut microbiota across the first 3 years of life. We identified mode of delivery, feeding mode, and intrapartum antibiotics as the major determinants of the early-life gut microbiome, the effects of all of which persisted up to 12 months. Importantly, by conducting a nested case-control study, we showed that alterations in the infant gut microbiota precede the development of eczema. Interestingly, we identified a depletion of Bacteroides and an enrichment of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 in the gut microbiome of infants with eczema at 1 year old. The same patterns were also observed in C-section-born infants within the same time frames, suggesting a role of the gut microbiota in previously reported associations between C-section and increased risk of eczema. Our study has revealed important associations between the gut microbiome and eczema in infancy and has established the basis for potential prevention/treatment of eczema via modulation of the gut microbiota. IMPORTANCE Eczema is a major allergic disease in children, which is particularly prevalent in Chinese children during their first year of life. In this study, we showed that alterations in the infant gut microbiota precede the development of eczema in a prospective Chinese cohort. In particular, we discovered enrichments of the genera Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia in the cases at 3 and 1 month of age, respectively, which may represent potential targets for intervention to prevent eczema. Besides, we identified a depletion of Bacteroides from 1 to 6 months of age and an enrichment of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 at 3 months in the eczema cases, patterns also observed in C-section-born infants within the same time frames, providing first evidence to support a role of the gut microbiota in previously reported associations between C-section and increased risk of eczema in infancy.

Dataset Information

Diversity of the gut microbiota and eczema in early life.

Publications

Diversity of the gut microbiota and eczema in early life.

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