Antibiotic treatments to mothers during the perinatal period leaving hidden trouble on infants

Perturbed maternal microbiota shapes offspring microbiota during early colonization period in mice

Recent studies have highlighted the impact of disrupted maternal gut microbiota on the colonization of offspring gut microbiota, with implications for offspring developmental trajectories. The extent to which offspring inherit the characteristics of altered maternal gut microbiota remains elusive. In this study, we employed a mouse model where maternal gut microbiota disruption was induced using non-absorbable antibiotics. Systematic chronological analyses of dam fecal samples, offspring luminal content, and offspring gut tissue samples revealed a notable congruence between offspring gut microbiota profiles and those of the perturbed maternal gut microbiota, highlighting the profound influence of maternal microbiota on early-life colonization of offspring gut microbiota. Nonetheless, certain dominant bacterial genera in maternal microbiota did not transfer to the offspring, indicating a bacterial taxonomy-dependent mechanism in the inheritance of maternal gut microbiota. Our results embody the vertical transmission dynamics of disrupted maternal gut microbiota in an animal model, where the gut microbiota of an offspring closely mirrors the gut microbiota of its mother.

Exploring Functional Products and Early-Life Dynamics of Gut Microbiota

Research on the microbiome has progressed from identifying specific microbial communities to exploring how these organisms produce and modify metabolites that impact a wide range of health conditions, including gastrointestinal, metabolic, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases. This review provides an overview of the bacteria commonly found in the intestinal tract, focusing on their main functional outputs. We explore biomarkers that not only indicate a well-balanced microbiota but also potential dysbiosis, which could foreshadow susceptibility to future health conditions. Additionally, it discusses the establishment of the microbiota during the early years of life, examining factors such as gestational age at birth, type of delivery, antibiotic intake, and genetic and environmental influences. Through a comprehensive analysis of current research, this article aims to enhance our understanding of the microbiota's foundational development and its long-term implications for health and disease management.

[Association of pregnancy factors with cow's milk protein allergy in infants]

OBJECTIVE

To preliminarily explore the association of pregnancy factors with cow's milk protein allergy in infants.

METHODS

This study was based on data from a subcohort of a study called genetic susceptibility to cow's milk allergy in Chinese children, including infants born in Peking University People's Hospital between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The infants were divided into a cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) group and a control group according to whether they had developed cow's milk protein allergy at the age of 1 year. We retrospectively collected the clinical data of infants and their mothers before and during pregnancy, and analyzed the association of multiple factors during pregnancy with cow's milk protein allergy in infants.

RESULTS

A total of 278 infants were enrolled in this study, including 52 infants with CMPA and 226 infants without CMPA. Among them, there were 143 boys and 135 girls. The proportion of male infants in the CMPA group (69.2%) was higher than that in the control group (47.3%), and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.004). There were no significant differences in the distribution of birth weight, gestational age at birth, low-birth-weight infants, premature, umbilical cord entangle neck, and neonatal asphyxia between the CMPA group and the control group (P>0.05). The proportion of mothers complicated with autoimmune diseases, anemia or antibiotics exposure during pregnancy in the CMPA group was higher than that in the control group, and there were statistical differences between the two groups (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the distribution of other pregnancy complications between the two groups (P>0.05), such as eclampsia/preeclampsia, chronic hypertension/gestational hypertension, diabetes/gestational diabetes, thyroid diseases, and so on. There was no significant difference in the overall distribution of some blood routine indexes during pregnancy between the CMPA group and the control group (P>0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that male infant, mothers complicated with autoimmune diseases or anemia, antibiotic exposure during pregnancy were independent risk factors for cow's milk protein allergy.

CONCLUSION

Male infant, mothers complicated with autoimmune diseases or anemia, antibiotic exposure during pregnancy were independent risk factors for cow's milk protein allergy.