Factors influencing the infant gut microbiome at age 3-6 months: Findings from the ethnically diverse Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The gut microbiome in infancy influences immune system maturation, and may have an important impact on allergic disease risk.

Objective

We sought to determine how prenatal and early life factors impact the gut microbiome in a relatively large, ethnically diverse study population of infants at age 3 to 6 months, who were enrolled in Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial, a clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy to prevent asthma and allergies in offspring.

Methods

We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on 333 infants' stool samples. Microbial diversity was computed using the Shannon index. Factor analysis applied to the top 25 most abundant taxa revealed 4 underlying bacterial coabundance groups; the first dominated by Firmicutes (Lachn

SUBMITTER: Sordillo JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5303123 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature