Abstract
The first few years of life is a key period for the development of the gut microbiome. However, our current understanding of this topic is largely biased toward Western populations. In this study, we characterized the development and determinants of the gut microbiome in a prospective cohort of 112 term Chinese children by sequencing 713 stool samples collected at nine time points from birth to 3 years of age using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We revealed alterations in the composition and alpha and beta diversities of the gut microbiota across the first 3 years of life. We identified mode of delivery, feeding mode, and intrapartum antibiotics as the major determinants of the early-life gut microbiome, the effects of all of which persisted up to 12 months. Importantly, by conducting a nested case–control study, we showed that alterations in the infant gut microbiota precede the development of eczema. Interestingly, we identified a depletion of Bacteroides and an enrichment of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 in the gut microbiome of infants with eczema at 1 year old. The same patterns were also observed in C-section-born infants within the same time frames, suggesting a role of the gut microbiota in previously reported associations between C-section and increased risk of eczema. Our study has revealed important associations between the gut microbiome and eczema in infancy and has established the basis for potential prevention/treatment of eczema via modulation of the gut microbiota.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e00521-23 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-14 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | mSystems |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Early online date | 30 Aug 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 26 Oct 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The study was supported by a seed fund for gut microbiota research by the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China.
Funding Information:
We thank the parents and children for taking part in this study. We thank Nancy Li, Nancy Cheng, Amy Chang, Cecily Leung, Yehao Chen, Yuping Song, and Liz Li for their assistance in this study. We also thank the Core Utilities of Cancer Genomics and Pathobiology at the Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong for the service of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study was supported by a seed fund for gut microbiota research by the Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China. M.K.C. analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. T.F.L., W.H.T., A.S.Y.L., O.M.C., and L.-Y.Y. collected clinical information. J.W.K.Y., S.L.Y.T., A.C.M.Y., and W.C.S.H. collected samples and performed the laboratory analysis. J.W.K.Y. was involved in data analysis. R.W.Y.N. assisted in the data interpretation. Z.C. provided insights into the data analysis. P.K.S.C. conceived and supervised the study and acquired funding. T.F.L., W.H.T., and P.K.S.C. critically reviewed the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Cheung et al.