Gut microbiota maturity mediates the protective effect of siblings on food allergy

Gao, Y; Stokholm, J; O&#39;Hely, M; Ponsonby, AL; Tang, ML; Ranganathan, S; Saffery, R; Harrison, LC; Collier, F; Gray, L; Burgner, D; Molloy, J; Sly, PD; Brix, S; Fr&#248;ki&#230;r, H; Vuillermin, P; BIS Investigator Group,

Author(s): Gao, Y; Stokholm, J; O'Hely, M; Ponsonby, AL; Tang, ML; Ranganathan, S; Saffery, R; Harrison, LC; Collier, F; Gray, L; Burgner, D; Molloy, J; Sly, PD; Brix, S; Frøkiær, H; Vuillermin, P; BIS Investigator Group,;
Details: Publication Year 2023-05-05,Volume 152,Issue #3,Page 667-675
Journal Title: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The mechanisms underlying the protective effect of older siblings on allergic disease remain unclear but may relate to the infant gut microbiota. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether having older siblings decreases the risk of Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergy by accelerating the maturation of the infant gut microbiota. METHODS: In a birth cohort assembled using an unselected antenatal sampling frame (n=1074), fecal samples were collected at 1 month, 6 months and 1 year, and food allergy status at 1 year was determined by skin prick test and in-hospital food challenge. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to derive amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). Among a random subcohort (n=323), microbiota-by-age z-scores (MAZ) at each time point were calculated using fecal ASVs to represent the gut microbiota maturation over the first year of life. RESULTS: A greater number of siblings was associated with a higher MAZ at 1 year of age (β =0.15 per an additional sibling; 95%CI (0.05, 0.24); p=0.003), which was in turn associated with decreased odds of food allergy (OR=0.45; 95%CI (0.33, 0.61); p<0.001). MAZ mediated 63% of the protective effect of siblings. Analogous associations were not observed at younger ages. CONCLUSION: The protective effect of older siblings on the risk of developing IgE-mediated food allergy during infancy is substantially mediated by advanced maturation of the gut microbiota at 1 year of age.
Publisher: Elsevier
Keywords: birth cohort; food allergy; microbiota maturation; siblings
Research Division(s): Population Health And Immunity
PubMed ID: 37150361
Publisher's Version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2023.02.034
Terms of Use/Rights Notice: Refer to copyright notice on published article.

Creation Date: 2023-06-26 09:53:25

Last Modified: 2023-09-27 09:00:29