Asthma, Rhinitis, Other Respiratory DiseasesAllergy development and the intestinal microflora during the first year of life☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Study groups and design
The study group consisted of 18 allergic infants (9 Estonian and 9 Swedish) and 26 nonallergic infants (15 Estonian and 11 Swedish). The 24 Estonian babies (12 of whom were boys) were born at the Women's Clinic of Tartu University Clinics between February 1997 and June 1998. The 20 Swedish babies (12 of whom were boys) were born at the Linköping University hospital between March 1996 and August 1998. The 2 groups were selected from participants in a prospective study of the development of
Results
The prevalence of colonization with enterococci was lower at 1 week and 1 month in infants who developed allergy during the first 2 years of life than in those who did not (67% vs 96% [P = .02] and 72% vs 96% [P = .03]; Table I). Similarly, the prevalence of colonization with bifidobacteria was lower in allergic infants through the first year of life, though significantly so only at 1 week (17% vs 50% [P = .03]) and at 3 (28% vs 62% [P = .04]) and 12 months (22% vs 69% [P = .005]).
Discussion
This prospective study extends previous reports of differences in the composition of the intestinal flora between allergic infants and nonallergic infants8, 9 and demonstrates that they are already present during the first week of life. Differences in diet and antibiotic treatment cannot explain the findings; the allergic and nonallergic infants were similar with respect to diet and the use of antibiotic drugs in both countries.
In at least 3 recent studies, differences in the composition of the
References (19)
- et al.
Distinct patterns of neontal gut microflora in infants developing or not developing atopy
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2001) Allergy priming early in life [commentary]
Lancet
(1999)- et al.
Probiotics in primary prevention of atopic disease: a randomised placebo-controlled trial
Lancet
(2001) - et al.
Prevalence of childhood asthma, rhinitis and eczema in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe
Eur Resp J
(1998) - et al.
Risk factors for respiratory symptoms and atopic sensitization in the Baltic area
Arch Dis Child
(1995) - et al.
Skin test reactivity and number of siblings
Br Med J
(1994) - et al.
Atopic versus infectious disease in childhood: a question of balance?
Pediatr Allergy Immunol
(1997) Microflora-associated characteristics (MACs) and germfree animal characteristics (GACs) in man and animals
Microecol Ther
(1985)- et al.
Intestinal microflora of Estonian and Swedish infants
Acta Paediatr
(1997)
Cited by (1008)
The role of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal cancers
2024, Cellular SignallingGut microbiome is associated with asthma and race in children with food allergy
2023, Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyKonjac-mulberry leaf compound powder alleviates OVA-induced allergic rhinitis in BALB/c mice
2023, Food Science and Human WellnessResearch Progress on Dietary Risk Factors and Regulatory Mechanisms of Food Allergy
2024, Shipin Kexue/Food Science
- ☆
Supported by grants from the Swedish Foundation for Health Care Sciences and Allergy Research, the Swedish Medical Research Council (#7510), the Swedish National Heart and Lung Association, the National Association against Asthma, and Allergy and Glaxo-Wellcome Ltd (Stevenage, United Kingdom) and by the Estonian Ministry of Education (#0418).
- ☆☆
Reprint requests: Bengt Björkstén, MD, PhD, Centre for Allergy Research, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.