Gut microbiome characteristics in mothers and infants according to the
presence of atopic dermatitis
Abstract
Background: The role of the gut microbiome in the onset and development
of atopic dermatitis (AD) has been postulated. Therefore, we
investigated the gut microbial compositions in infants with and without
AD, and compared it to the gut bacterial flora of their mothers.
Methods: This was a prospective and cross-sectional study. Among 44
pairs of mothers and children, we selected infants who were born via
full-term normal vaginal delivery and that had no history of antibiotic
or probiotic use, and infection during the first three months of life.
The 15 pairs, consisting of nine healthy infants and six AD infants,
were included in this study. Fecal samples of mothers and infants were
analyzed within 30 days of delivery and at 12 months of age. Microbes in
the fecal samples of mothers and infants were subjected to analysis of
16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Results: Abundance of specific taxonomic
groups was notably different, but microbial diversity and phylogenetic
distances were not significantly different in either maternal or infant
groups according to the presence of infant AD. A total of 12 species
were selected as differential species in infants with AD compared to
healthy infants. Six species were significantly different in the mothers
of infants with AD compared to the mothers of healthy infants.
Akkermansia muciniphila was only detected in healthy infants and their
mothers. Conclusions: These data indicated that the presence of
Akkermansia muciniphila in mothers and children after vaginal delivery
is associated with the onset and development of AD.