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Published on: February 7, 2025
Mother's Milk Microbiome Shaping Fecal and Skin Microbiota in Infants with Food Allergy and Atopic Dermatitis: A
Marcin Gołębiewski1,2, Ewa Łoś-Rycharska3, Marcin Sikora2
1Department of Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Torun, Poland.
Insights
Breastfeeding significantly influences infant gut and skin microbiomes, promoting allergy development similarity to healthy infants. Maternal milk impacts child
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Microbiome Research
- Infant Health
Background:
- Food allergy (FA) and atopic dermatitis (AD) are prevalent pediatric diseases.
- The infant microbiome, encompassing gut and skin, is influenced by factors like breastfeeding.
- Understanding the microbiome's role in allergy development is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in fecal and skin microbiomes between allergic (FA/AD) and healthy infants.
- To assess the influence of breastfeeding on infant microbiome composition and allergy status.
- To identify specific microbial taxa associated with maternal milk and infant allergy.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal and skin microbial communities from infants.
- Analysis of maternal milk samples.
- Comparison of microbiomes in breastfed versus formula-fed infants.
Main Results:
- Maternal milk composition influences infant fecal and skin microbiomes.
- Acinetobacter abundance correlated with both milk and infant samples.
- Breastfeeding promotes microbiome similarity to healthy infants in allergic children.
- Specific microbial signatures were identified in relation to health and allergy.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding plays a key role in shaping the infant microbiome and mitigating allergy development.
- Maternal milk is a significant factor in infant gut and skin microbial colonization.
- Identifying specific microbial taxa can aid in understanding and potentially preventing pediatric allergies.
Abstract:
The child microbiome, including gut and skin communities, is shaped by a multitude of factors, and breastfeeding is one of the most essential. Food allergy (FA) and atopic dermatitis (AD) are among the most common diseases in pediatrics, with the prevalence of each up to 6% and 20%, respectively. Therefore, we aimed at finding differences between the fecal and skin microbiomes of FA and AD patients in the context of breastfeeding, by means of the Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragment libraries amplified from the total DNA isolated from samples collected from allergic and healthy infants. We also analyzed milk samples from the mothers of the examined children and searched for patterns of incidence suggesting milk influence on an infant's allergy status. Here we show that a mother's milk influences her child's fecal and skin microbiomes and identify Acinetobacter as the taxon whose abundance is correlated with milk and child-derived samples. We demonstrate that breastfeeding makes allergic children's fecal and skin communities more similar to those of healthy infants than in the case of formula-feeding. We also identify signature taxa that might be important in maintaining health or allergy development.
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