Perinatal Pet Exposure, Faecal Microbiota, and Wheezy Bronchitis: Is There a Connection?

Background. The hygiene hypothesis suggests that high hygiene standards have led to an immune dysfunction and an increase in allergic diseases. Farming-related exposures are associated with a decreased risk of asthma. Since the gut microbiota may be a pivotal component in the hygiene hypothesis, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ISRN allergy 2013, Vol.2013, p.1-6
Main Authors: Nermes, Merja, Niinivirta, Katri, Nylund, Lotta, Laitinen, Kirsi, Matomäki, Jaakko, Salminen, Seppo, Isolauri, Erika
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Asthma
Autoimmune diseases
Bifidobacterium longum
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Disease
DNA
Families & family life
Family medical history
Hospitals
Hygiene
Hypotheses
Immune system
Microbiology
Mothers
Nutrition research
Probiotics
Studies
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Summary:Background. The hygiene hypothesis suggests that high hygiene standards have led to an immune dysfunction and an increase in allergic diseases. Farming-related exposures are associated with a decreased risk of asthma. Since the gut microbiota may be a pivotal component in the hygiene hypothesis, we studied whether perinatal exposure to pets, doctor's diagnosed wheezy bronchitis (WB), and compositional changes in the gut microbiota are interrelated among urban infants. Methods. Data were collected prospectively from a mother-infant nutrition study. Data on perinatal pet ownership, WB, and the microbiota composition of faecal samples of the infants assessed by quantitative PCR at 1 month were compared. Results. None of the 30 infants exposed to pets had suffered from WB by 24 months, whereas 15 of the 99 (15%) nonexposed infants had had WB (P=0.03). The counts of Bifidobacterium longum were higher in samples (n=17) from nonwheezing infants with pet exposure compared to those (n=10) in wheezing infants without pet exposure (8.59/10.44 versus 5.94/9.86, resp. (median/upper limit of range, bacteria(log)/g of stool); P=0.02). B. breve was more abundant in the wheezing infants (P=0.02).
ISSN:2090-553X
2090-5521
2090-553X
DOI:10.1155/2013/827934