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Delayed gut microbiota development in high-risk for asthma infants is temporarily modifiable by Lactobacillus

Juliana Durack1, Nikole E Kimes1,2, Din L Lin1

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.

Nature Communications
|February 18, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Infants at high risk for asthma show distinct gut microbial development. Early Lactobacillus supplementation partially rescues deficits, but effects are lost after supplementation stops, highlighting gut microbiome plasticity.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Gut microbiota dysbiosis in infancy is linked to metabolic dysfunction, atopy, and asthma development.
  • Early-life gut microbiome maturation is crucial for immune system development.
  • Infants at high risk for asthma (HR) may exhibit altered gut microbial trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine gut microbiota maturation in the first year of life in HR infants.
  • To determine if early-life Lactobacillus supplementation can modify gut microbiota development in HR infants.
  • To compare microbiota development in HR infants receiving Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) or placebo (P) with healthy controls (HC).

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal stool sample analysis from HR infants randomized to LGG or placebo for 6 months.
  • Comparison with healthy control infants.
  • Microbiota analysis focusing on developmental trajectories, metabolic profiles, and lipid content.

Main Results:

  • Meconium microbiota in placebo-treated HR infants showed a delayed trajectory, characterized by glycolytic pathways and depleted anti-inflammatory lipids at 6 months.
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation partly rescued these deficits.
  • The beneficial effects of supplementation were lost by 12 months of age, 6 months after cessation.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life gut microbial development is distinct but plastic in HR infants.
  • Lactobacillus supplementation offers a potential, though transient, strategy for early-life intervention.
  • Further research is needed to understand long-term effects and optimize interventions for asthma prevention.

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