Impact of oral immunotherapy on diversity of gut microbiota in
food-allergic children
Abstract
Background: Food allergies (FAs) are an increasing public
health concern, particularly in children. Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is an
emerging treatment strategy under clinical investigation for
desensitization of children with FA to food allergens. Dysbiosis of the
gut microbiota has been implicated in FAs, and various factors influence
its composition; however, the impact of OIT on the gut microbiota
remains largely unexplored. Objective: This study aimed to
identify the changes in diversity of the gut microbiota following OIT in
children with FA. Methods: Thirty children with FA undergoing
oral immunotherapy and seven non-allergic controls participated in this
study. Fecal samples were collected before and after OIT from children
with FA, and once from controls. The gut microbiota was profiled using
16S rRNA sequencing, followed by diversity and differential abundance
analyses. Alpha and beta diversities were compared, and differential
abundance was assessed. Results: Beta diversity analysis
revealed small but significant differences in microbial composition
between children with FA before and after OIT, and between controls and
children with FA before OIT. Differential abundance analysis showed that
OIT induced a reversion of the abundance levels of Bacteroidota and
Verrucomicrobiota towards those observed in controls.
Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to
investigate the impact of OIT on the gut microbiota in children with
different FAs for identifying potential microbial biomarkers, and
convincingly demonstrated their interrelation. These findings may help
improve and personalize FA treatment.