As part of the largest study of the largest UK baby microbiome study to date, scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and UCL found that babies with a specific makeup of gut bacteria have a lower risk of being hospitalised for viral lower respiratory tract infection (vLRTI), in the first two years of life.
This study, published in the Lancet Microbe is the first ever project to show a key link between the gut microbiome composition in the first week of life and hospital admissions for respiratory infections in early childhood. The methodology involved conducting whole genome sequencing and analysis of stool samples from 1,082 newborns. Then electronic health records were used to track admission in these children up to the age of two years old.
Elaborating on previous findings from the UK Baby Biome Study, this new research posits that a specific microbiome makeup may offer distinct advantages including protection against viral infections.
Although more in-depth research is necessary to prove this link, these initial findings could contribute to shaping future research and prevention efforts for childhood respiratory diseases. This includes the production of effective therapeutic probiotics to reduce the risk of respiratory infections in infants.
Dr. Cristina Garcia-Mauriño, the First Author of the study, said: “Viral lower respiratory tract infection is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation in young children, and our research raises the possibility that certain early gut microbiomes might help lower this risk.”
Overall, this study sheds further light on how the gut microbiome in early life plays a role in our future health. This research also affirms the importance of even larger studies such as the Microbes, Milk, Mental Health and Me (4M) project2.