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Published on: January 28, 2019
Significant Correlation Between the Infant Gut Microbiome and Rotavirus Vaccine Response in Rural Ghana
Vanessa C Harris1,2, George Armah3, Susana Fuentes4
1Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development.
Insights
Rotavirus vaccines are less effective in developing countries. This study found that differences in infant gut bacteria composition correlate with vaccine response, suggesting a link to lower efficacy in these regions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Vaccinology
- Pediatric infectious diseases
Background:
- Rotavirus (RV) causes significant childhood diarrhea deaths globally, particularly in Africa and Asia.
- Rotavirus vaccines (RVVs) exhibit reduced efficacy in these regions.
- Hypothesis: Intestinal microbiome composition influences RVV efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prevaccination fecal microbiome composition and RVV immunogenicity in Ghanaian infants.
- To compare the microbiomes of Ghanaian RVV responders and nonresponders with those of healthy Dutch infants.
Main Methods:
- Nested case-control study in rural Ghana.
- Fecal microbiome analysis using the Human Intestinal Tract Chip.
- Comparison of 78 Ghanaian infants (39 responder/nonresponder pairs) with 154 Dutch infants.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in microbiome composition between RVV responders and nonresponders in Ghana.
- Ghanaian RVV responders showed microbiome similarity to Dutch infants.
- RVV response associated with higher Streptococcus bovis and lower Bacteroidetes abundance.
Conclusions:
- Intestinal microbiome composition significantly correlates with rotavirus vaccine immunogenicity.
- Microbiome differences may explain the diminished RVV efficacy observed in developing countries.
Background:
Rotavirus (RV) is the leading cause of diarrhea-related death in children worldwide and 95% of RV-associated deaths occur in Africa and Asia where RV vaccines (RVVs) have lower efficacy. We hypothesize that differences in intestinal microbiome composition correlate with the decreased RVV efficacy observed in poor settings.
Methods:
We conducted a nested, case-control study comparing prevaccination, fecal microbiome compositions between 6-week old, matched RVV responders and nonresponders in rural Ghana. These infants' microbiomes were then compared with 154 age-matched, healthy Dutch infants' microbiomes, assumed to be RVV responders. Fecal microbiome analysis was performed in all groups using the Human Intestinal Tract Chip.
Results:
We analyzed findings in 78 Ghanaian infants, including 39 RVV responder and nonresponder pairs. The overall microbiome composition was significantly different between RVV responders and nonresponders (FDR, 0.12), and Ghanaian responders were more similar to Dutch infants than nonresponders (P = .002). RVV response correlated with an increased abundance of Streptococcus bovis and a decreased abundance of the Bacteroidetes phylum in comparisons between both Ghanaian RVV responders and nonresponders (FDR, 0.008 vs 0.003) and Dutch infants and Ghanaian nonresponders (FDR, 0.002 vs 0.009).
Conclusions:
The intestinal microbiome composition correlates significantly with RVV immunogenicity and may contribute to the diminished RVV immunogenicity observed in developing countries.
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