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Updated: Nov 11, 2025
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An Intestinal Gut Organ Culture System for Analyzing Host-Microbiota Interactions
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Shared Environment and Genetics Shape the Gut Microbiome after Infant Adoption
Hannah F Tavalire1,2, Diana M Christie2,3, Leslie D Leve4
1Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA tavalire@uoregon.edu bohannan@uoregon.edu.
Mbio
|March 31, 2021
Summary
The early life home environment significantly shapes the gut microbiome in children. Shared environments are key for microbial presence, while genetics influence abundance, impacting lifelong health.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Human Health
- Genetics
Background:
- Human gut microbiome composition varies significantly and is linked to health.
- Sources of early-life microbial variation are not well understood.
- Childhood microbiome state impacts lifelong health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sources of variation in the early-life human gut microbiome.
- To compare the influence of shared environment versus host genetics on microbiome composition.
Main Methods:
- Compared gut microbiomes of adopted children with unrelated cohabiting children and related children in different households.
- Analyzed microbiome similarity in relation to host genetic relatedness and shared home environment.
Main Results:
- A shared home environment was the strongest predictor of overall gut microbiome similarity.
- Host genetic similarity explained variation in microbial abundance.
- Shared home environment predicted the presence of microbial taxa.
Conclusions:
- The early-life home environment acts as a crucial source pool for gut microbes in children.
- Host genetics influence microbial abundance after colonization.
- Understanding these drivers can inform early-life health interventions.
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