Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
05:31

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Published on: August 7, 2017

Carbohydrate Metabolism Differs in Infants by Asthma-risk Status and is Associated with the Functional Potential of

Holly M Steininger1, Carlos E Iglesias-Aguirre2, Ariane R Panzer1

  • 1Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|May 18, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Infant gut microbiome differences at 6 months, specifically the abundance of Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and Hungatella effluvii, are linked to asthma risk. These bacteria may influence metabolic changes associated with childhood atopic disease.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiome research
  • Pediatric health
  • Metabolomics

Background:

  • Childhood atopic diseases, like asthma, are associated with delayed gut microbiome development and metabolic dysfunction.
  • The specific microbial drivers contributing to asthma risk remain largely unclear.
  • Understanding early-life microbial and metabolic profiles is crucial for identifying asthma risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the microbial and metabolic correlates of asthma risk in 6-month-old infants.
  • To identify specific bacterial species and metabolic pathways associated with high asthma risk (HR) versus healthy controls (HC).

Main Methods:

  • Genome-resolved metagenomics was used to analyze stool samples from HR (n=7) and HC (n=12) infants.
  • Untargeted metabolomics was performed on stool samples from HR (n=11) and HC (n=15) infants.
  • Machine learning identified bacterial species linked to asthma risk, and integrative genome-metabolic modeling was employed.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in global taxonomic composition were observed between HR and HC infants.
  • Machine learning identified Bacteroides cellulosilyticus, Hungatella effluvii, and Enterocloster aldenensis as more abundant in HC infants.
  • Metabolomic analysis revealed distinct profiles: HR infants had more simple sugars, while HC infants had more nitrogenous compounds. B. cellulosilyticus genomes were enriched in carbohydrate metabolism genes.

Conclusions:

  • Microbial and metabolic differences in the infant gut at 6 months are associated with asthma risk.
  • Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and Hungatella effluvii are identified as candidate bacteria potentially influencing metabolic remodeling related to asthma risk.
  • These findings highlight the role of specific gut microbes in early-life metabolic programming and asthma development.

Keywords:
AsthmaInfantMicrobiomeMultiomics

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