The association of maternal and infant early gut microbiota with respiratory infections in infants
Hyvönen, Sanni; Saarikivi, Aki; Mälkönen, Jani; Solasaari, Terhi; Korpela, Katri; de Vos, Willem M; Salonen, Anne; Ruuska-Loewald, Terhi; Kolho, Kaija-Leena (2025-08-20)
Springer
20.08.2025
Hyvönen, S., Saarikivi, A., Mälkönen, J. et al. The association of maternal and infant early gut microbiota with respiratory infections in infants. Pediatr Res 99, 970–983 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04326-0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202508225535
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202508225535
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Background:
There are limited data on the proposed association of early gut microbiota composition and the risk of respiratory tract infections (RTI) in infants from prospective studies.
Methods:
We investigated the maternal and infant gut microbiota in infants prospectively followed up for their RTIs in the HELMi cohort from Helsinki, Finland. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon data was assessed at weeks 3 and 6 from 461 infants, of whom 178 developed RTIs within 3 and 6 months of life. Fecal samples collected near the due date were available from 261 mothers.
Results:
There was no difference in the maternal or early infant gut microbiota in the overall microbiota composition in alpha or beta diversity between infants with or without RTIs within the first 3 and 6 months of life. The relative abundances of adult-type butyrate producers and some Enterobacteriaceae were significantly more higher at 3 and to some extent also at 6 weeks of age in the infection group compared to controls, while their mothers’ microbiota was significantly enriched with Enterococcus, Citrobacter, and Enterobacter spp., and Clostridium being less abundant.
Conclusion:
The maternal and early-life infant gut microbiota may play a role in predisposition to RTIs in infants.
Background:
There are limited data on the proposed association of early gut microbiota composition and the risk of respiratory tract infections (RTI) in infants from prospective studies.
Methods:
We investigated the maternal and infant gut microbiota in infants prospectively followed up for their RTIs in the HELMi cohort from Helsinki, Finland. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon data was assessed at weeks 3 and 6 from 461 infants, of whom 178 developed RTIs within 3 and 6 months of life. Fecal samples collected near the due date were available from 261 mothers.
Results:
There was no difference in the maternal or early infant gut microbiota in the overall microbiota composition in alpha or beta diversity between infants with or without RTIs within the first 3 and 6 months of life. The relative abundances of adult-type butyrate producers and some Enterobacteriaceae were significantly more higher at 3 and to some extent also at 6 weeks of age in the infection group compared to controls, while their mothers’ microbiota was significantly enriched with Enterococcus, Citrobacter, and Enterobacter spp., and Clostridium being less abundant.
Conclusion:
The maternal and early-life infant gut microbiota may play a role in predisposition to RTIs in infants.
Kokoelmat
- Avoin saatavuus [42420]
Ellei muuten mainita, aineiston lisenssi on https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/