Reduced diversity of the intestinal microbiota during infancy is associated with increased risk of allergic disease at school age - 28/08/11
, Nan Li, MD, PhD a, b, c, Klaus Bonnelykke, MD, PhD a, Bo Lund Krogsgaard Chawes, MD, PhD a, Thomas Skov, MSc, PhD d, Georg Paludan-Müller, MSc, PhD a, Jakob Stokholm, MD a, Birgitte Smith, MD b, Karen Angeliki Krogfelt, MSc, PhD b
Reprint requests: Hans Bisgaard, MD, DMSc, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, and the Danish Pediatric Asthma Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Copenhagen DK-2820, Denmark.Abstract |
Background |
Changes in the human microbiome have been suggested as a risk factor for a number of lifestyle-related disorders, such as atopic diseases, possibly through a modifying influence on immune maturation in infancy.
Objectives |
We aimed to explore the association between neonatal fecal flora and the development of atopic disorders until age 6 years, hypothesizing that the diversity of the intestinal microbiota influences disease development.
Methods |
We studied the intestinal microbiota in infants in the Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood, a clinical study of a birth cohort of 411 high-risk children followed for 6 years by clinical assessments at 6-month intervals, as well as at acute symptom exacerbations. Bacterial flora was analyzed at 1 and 12 months of age by using molecular techniques based on 16S rRNA PCR combined with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, as well as conventional culturing. The main outcome measures were the development of allergic sensitization (skin test and specific serum IgE), allergic rhinitis, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, asthma, and atopic dermatitis during the first 6 years of life.
Results |
We found that bacterial diversity in the early intestinal flora 1 and 12 months after birth was inversely associated with the risk of allergic sensitization (serum specific IgE P = .003; skin prick test P = .017), peripheral blood eosinophils (P = .034), and allergic rhinitis (P = .007). There was no association with the development of asthma or atopic dermatitis.
Conclusions |
Reduced bacterial diversity of the infant’s intestinal flora was associated with increased risk of allergic sensitization, allergic rhinitis, and peripheral blood eosinophilia, but not asthma or atopic dermatitis, in the first 6 years of life. These results support the general hypothesis that an imbalance in the intestinal microbiome is influencing the development of lifestyle-related disorders, such as allergic disease.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Key words : Allergic sensitization, allergic rhinitis, peripheral blood eosinophils, atopic dermatitis, asthma, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, infants, gastrointestinal, microbiota, fecal microflora, human microbiome
Abbreviations used : COPSAC, DGGE, GEE, PCA
Plan
| N. L. was supported by a scholarship kindly given by the Chinese State. Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) is funded by private and public research funds, all listed on www.copsac.com. The Lundbeck Foundation, the Pharmacy Foundation of 1991, the Augustinus Foundation, the Danish Medical Research Council, and the Danish Pediatric Asthma Centre provide core support for COPSAC. |
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| Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: H. Bisgaard has been a lecturer for AstraZeneca and Merck; has consultant arrangements with Merck and Chiesi; and has provided legal consultation/expert witness testimony for the European Medicines Agency in cases related to the guidelines on pediatric studies for documenting asthma drugs. The rest of the authors have declared that they have no conflict of interest. |
Vol 128 - N° 3
P. 646 - septembre 2011 Retour au numéro
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