The role of the microbiome in childhood disease

National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

During the last year, from these observational studies we have made several scientific advances related to the involvement of the childhood microbiome over different disease states: 1) We identified for the first time that in very young children who carry SARS-CoV-2 that there is a depletion of anti-inflammatory bacterial taxa; we are now examining the long-term impacts on health of this finding. 2) We showed that in infants with multiple exposures to antibiotics in early life (perinatal, peripartum and in the first year of life) there was persistent depletion of specific anti-inflammatory bacteria. We are now examining the mechanisms by which this may lead to later diseases associated with antibiotic exposure including obesity and atopy. 3) We gained a better understanding of the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplant for Clostridioides difficile infection in children with and without underlying inflammatory bowel disease. 4) We identified skin microbiome compositional and functional changes in the first week of life associated with the later development of atopic dermatitis.