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Maternal and child FUT2 secretor status affect gastroenteritis risk and gut microbiota composition in early life

Yang Luo1, Casper-Emil T Pedersen1, Anders Ulrik Eliasen1

  • 1COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Copenhagen University Hospital-Herlev and Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Clinical Microbiology and Infection : the Official Publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
|May 8, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Maternal and child secretor status (FUT2 gene) impacts early-life gastroenteritis risk and gut microbiota composition. Child secretor status, particularly after daycare, is linked to increased risk and specific bacterial changes.

Area of Science:

  • Human Genetics
  • Microbiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Secretor status, determined by the FUT2 gene, influences susceptibility to infections by modulating host-microbe interactions.
  • Early-life gut microbiota development is crucial for immune maturation and overall health, and is influenced by host genetics and environmental factors like diet and daycare.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal and child secretor status and the risk of gastroenteritis in the first three years of life.
  • To explore the influence of secretor status on gut microbiota composition and its interaction with breastfeeding and daycare attendance.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study (Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood 2010) of 700 mother-child pairs.
  • Genotyping for secretor status (FUT2 gene rs601338) in parents and children, with gastroenteritis episodes recorded for 3 years.
  • Analysis of gut microbiota composition from fecal samples at multiple time points using 16S rRNA sequencing, and statistical modeling (quasi-Poisson and Cox regression) to assess associations and interactions.

Main Results:

  • Maternal secretor status was associated with increased gastroenteritis risk in the first year (IRR=1.48), while child secretor status was linked to increased risk in the second year (IRR=1.56), particularly after daycare attendance (interaction p=0.006).
  • Secretor status influenced gut microbiota composition, with child secretor status associated with lower Bacteroides vulgatus and higher Escherichia/Shigella abundance at 1 year.
  • Bacteroides vulgatus was identified as a mediator of the effect of child secretor status on gastroenteritis risk, explaining 14% of the effect.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal and child FUT2 secretor status have distinct, age-specific effects on early-life gastroenteritis risk and gut microbiota composition.
  • These findings highlight the interplay between host genetics (FUT2), the gut microbiome, and environmental factors in shaping gastrointestinal health during early development.
Abstract

Keywords:
Fucosyltransferase-2 (FUT2)Gastroenteritis in childrenGut microbiomeMaternal influenceSecretor status

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