Depner Martin, Taft Diana Hazard, Peschel Stefanie, Roduit Caroline, Karvonen Anne M, Barnig Cindy, Divaret-Chauveau Amandine, Riedler Josef, Pekkanen Juha, Schmausser-Hechfellner Elisabeth, Pagani Giulia, Lauener Roger, Roponen Marjut, Renz Harald, Pfefferle Petra Ina, Schaub Bianca, von Mutius Erika, Kirjavainen Pirkka V, Ege Markus J
Institute of Asthma and Allergy Prevention, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2025 Feb;36(2):e70041. doi: 10.1111/pai.70041.
Atopic eczema often develops in the first year of life, when the composition of the gut microbiota is most plastic as illustrated by the decrease in bifidobacteria after weaning. This may provide the opportunity for microbial stimuli and their environmental determinants to alter the disease course.
To determine the role of the genus Bifidobacterium for atopic eczema in early childhood.
We analysed the bacterial composition in fecal samples of 618 children of the PASTURE ("Protection against Allergy-Study in Rural Environments") birth cohort using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of fecal samples collected at 2 and 12 months of age. Atopic eczema was defined as a parent-reported doctor's diagnosis until 2 years, and patterns of rash symptoms were classified by latent class analysis. We applied mediation models to assess direct and microbiota-mediated effects of environmental determinants on atopic eczema.
The Bifidobacterium composition observed at 2 months was inversely related to atopic eczema (OR = 0.68 [0.53-0.87], p = .002) and persistent rash. This association was not seen at 12 months, when the composition of Bifidobacterium amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) was altered. The effect of beneficial ASVs at 2 months (OR = 0.72 [0.57-0.91]) was lost at 12 months (OR = 0.97 [0.76-1.24]), when distinct bifidobacteria tended to be positively related to late-onset rash.
The subgenus composition of Bifidobacterium undergoes substantial changes in the first year of life. The protective effect of Bifidobacterium depends on the ASV composition at the respective age of the infant, highlighting the importance of timing in prevention strategies targeting infant-microbe interactions.
特应性皮炎通常在生命的第一年发病，此时肠道微生物群的组成最具可塑性，断奶后双歧杆菌数量减少就说明了这一点。这可能为微生物刺激及其环境决定因素改变疾病进程提供了机会。
确定双歧杆菌属在幼儿特应性皮炎中的作用。
我们使用16S rRNA扩增子测序分析了PASTURE（“农村环境中预防过敏研究”）出生队列中618名儿童粪便样本中的细菌组成，这些粪便样本分别在2个月和12个月时采集。特应性皮炎定义为家长报告的2岁前医生诊断结果，皮疹症状模式通过潜在类别分析进行分类。我们应用中介模型评估环境决定因素对特应性皮炎的直接和微生物群介导的影响。
2个月时观察到的双歧杆菌组成与特应性皮炎（比值比[OR]=0.68[0.53 - 0.87]，p = 0.002）和持续性皮疹呈负相关。12个月时未观察到这种关联，此时双歧杆菌扩增子序列变体（ASV）的组成发生了变化。2个月时有益ASV的作用（OR = 0.72[0.57 - 0.91]）在12个月时消失（OR = 0.97[0.76 - 1.24]），此时不同的双歧杆菌往往与迟发性皮疹呈正相关。
双歧杆菌的亚属组成在生命的第一年发生了重大变化。双歧杆菌的保护作用取决于婴儿相应年龄时的ASV组成，这突出了针对婴儿 - 微生物相互作用的预防策略中时机的重要性。
