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Persistent effects of early infant diet and associated microbiota on the juvenile immune system

Nicole R Narayan1, Gema Méndez-Lagares, Amir Ardeshir

  • 1a California National Primate Research Center; University of California ; Davis , CA USA.

Gut Microbes
|July 16, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Early infant feeding, whether breast milk or formula, shapes gut microbes and immunity. These differences persist for years, impacting T cell activation and immune system development in juvenile macaques.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Early infant diet significantly impacts gut microbiota and immune system development.
  • Previous research showed distinct gut microbial communities and immune profiles in breast-fed versus formula-fed rhesus macaques during infancy.
  • These early differences in T cell activation and T helper 17 (TH17) cell populations were sustained through the first year of life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of infant feeding on the immune system of juvenile rhesus macaques.
  • To determine if immunological differences observed in infancy persist into later developmental stages (3-5 years old).
  • To explore the sustained relationships between gut microbial communities and immune subsets in relation to early diet.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of immune profiles in juvenile rhesus macaques (3-5 years old) with a history of either breast-feeding or formula-feeding in infancy.
  • Assessment of CD8(+) memory T cell activation.
  • Construction and analysis of long-term correlation networks between immune subsets.

Main Results:

  • Juvenile macaques that were breast-fed in infancy exhibited sustained immunological differences compared to formula-fed counterparts, particularly in CD8(+) memory T cell activation.
  • Long-term correlation networks revealed persistent, diet-specific relationships between immune subsets in breast-fed animals, which were absent in formula-fed animals.
  • These findings indicate a continued influence of infant feeding practices on immunity up to 3-5 years post-birth.

Conclusions:

  • Infant feeding practices have a lasting impact on immune system development and function extending into juvenile years.
  • Persistent microbial modulation of the immune system is a key mechanism underlying these long-term effects.
  • Early diet influences the stability and interconnectedness of immune cell populations over several years.

Keywords:
T cell activationTH17 cellsbreast-milkgut microbiotarhesus macaque

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