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A game theory model for gut bacterial nutrient utilization strategies during human infancy.

ABSTRACT: Despite the fact that infant gut colonization patterns have been extensively studied, we have limited knowledge about the underlying ecological processes. This particularly relates to the ecological choice of nutrient utilization strategies. The aim of the current study was therefore to compare empirically determined nutrient utilization strategies with that expected from a combinatorial game theory model. Observational analyses for 100 mother-child pairs suggested mother-child transmission of specialists with the potential to use few nutrients. Generalists, on the other hand, with the potential to use many nutrients, peaked at three months of age for the children. The level of generalists was gradually replaced with specialists up to 12 months of age. Game theory simulation revealed a competitive advantage of generalists in an expanding population, while more specialized bacteria were favoured with the maturation of the population. This suggests that the observed increase in generalists in the three-month-old children could be due to an immature, expanding gut microbiota population while the increase of specialists at 12 months could be due to population maturation. The simulated and empirical data also correspond with respect to an increased ? diversity and a decreased ? diversity with the number of simulations and age, respectively. Taken together, game theory simulation of nutrient utilization strategies can therefore provide novel insight into the maturation of the human gut microbiota during infancy.

SUBMITTER: Angell IL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7423673 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A game theory model for gut bacterial nutrient utilization strategies during human infancy.

Angell Inga Leena IL Rudi Knut K

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20200715 1931

Despite the fact that infant gut colonization patterns have been extensively studied, we have limited knowledge about the underlying ecological processes. This particularly relates to the ecological choice of nutrient utilization strategies. The aim of the current study was therefore to compare empirically determined nutrient utilization strategies with that expected from a combinatorial game theory model. Observational analyses for 100 mother-child pairs suggested mother-child transmission of s ...[more]

PMID: 32673553

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Project description:BackgroundThe gut microbiota potentially plays an important role in the immunologic education of the host during early infancy.ObjectiveWe sought to determine how the infant gut microbiota evolve during infancy, particularly in relation to hygiene-related environmental factors, atopic disorders, and a randomized introduction of allergenic solids.MethodsA total of 1303 exclusively breast-fed infants were enrolled in a dietary randomized controlled trial (Enquiring About Tolerance study) from 3 months of age. In this nested longitudinal study, fecal samples were collected at baseline, with additional sampling of selected cases and controls at 6 and 12 months to study the evolution of their gut microbiota, using 16S ribosomal RNA gene-targeted amplicon sequencing.ResultsIn the 288 baseline samples from exclusively breast-fed infant at 3 months, the gut microbiota was highly heterogeneous, forming 3 distinct clusters: Bifidobacterium-rich, Bacteroides-rich, and Escherichia/Shigella-rich. Mode of delivery was the major discriminating factor. Increased Clostridium sensu stricto relative abundance at 3 months was associated with presence of atopic dermatitis on examination at age 3 and 12 months. From the selected cases and controls with longitudinal samples (n = 70), transition to Bacteroides-rich communities and influx of adult-specific microbes were observed during the first year of life. The introduction of allergenic solids promoted a significant increase in Shannon diversity and representation of specific microbes, such as genera belonging to Prevotellaceae and Proteobacteria (eg, Escherichia/Shigella), as compared with infants recommended to exclusively breast-feed.ConclusionsSpecific gut microbiota characteristics of samples from 3-month-old breast-fed infants were associated with cesarean birth, and greater Clostridium sensu stricto abundance was associated with atopic dermatitis. The randomized introduction of allergenic solids from age 3 months alongside breast-feeding was associated with differential dynamics of maturation of the gut microbial communities.

Dataset Information

A game theory model for gut bacterial nutrient utilization strategies during human infancy.

Publications

A game theory model for gut bacterial nutrient utilization strategies during human infancy.

Similar Datasets

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