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Soil causes gut microbiota to flourish and total serum IgE levels to decrease in mice.

Dongrui Zhou¹, Na Li¹, Fan Yang¹

¹Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science of Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, China.

Environmental Microbiology

|March 22, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Exposure to soil microbes, even from sterile soil or airborne sources, enhances gut microbial diversity and beneficial gene expression. This suggests soil acts as a prebiotic, boosting innate immunity and reducing allergic responses.

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Area of Science:

Environmental microbiology
Immunology
Gut microbiota research

Background:

Traditional farm environments are linked to reduced allergic disease incidence.
Farm environmental factors include microbes, soil, and organic matter.
The specific impact of soil and microbes on gut microbiota and immunity requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effects of soil and environmental microorganisms on gut microbiota composition and immune function.
To explore the potential of soil as a prebiotic agent.

Main Methods:

Mice were exposed to different soil conditions: sterilized soil inhalation, soil microbe inhalation, or non-sterilized soil intake.
Metagenomic sequencing was employed to analyze gut microbiota changes.
Serum IgE levels were measured to assess allergic responses induced by 2-4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB).

Main Results:

Exposure to sterile soil (airborne microbes) increased gut microbial diversity and type III secretion system (T3SS) gene abundance, while decreasing IgE levels.
Intake of soil microbes enhanced genes for short-chain fatty acid and amino acid metabolism.
Non-sterilized soil intake boosted microbial diversity, T3SS genes, metabolic pathways, and reduced IgE levels.

Conclusions:

Soil exposure, even indirectly, positively influences gut microbiota diversity and function.
Soil contains components that promote the growth of microorganisms with beneficial bacterial secretion system genes, particularly T3SS.
The abundance of T3SS genes correlates positively with innate immune function, suggesting soil's potential as a prebiotic for immune health.