Intestinal Colonization With Bifidobacterium longum Subspecies Is Associated With Length at Birth, Exclusive Breastfeeding, and Decreased Risk of Enteric Virus Infections, but Not With Histo-Blood Group Antigens, Oral Vaccine Response or Later Growth in Three Birth Cohorts
- 2022-02-16
- Frontiers in Pediatrics 10
- Josh M. Colston
- M. Taniuchi
- Tahmina Ahmed
- Tania Ferdousi
- F. Kabir
- E. Mduma
- R. Nshama
- N. Iqbal
- R. Haque
- T. Ahmed
- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutta
- M. Kosek
- J. Platts-Mills
- PubMed: 35252058
- DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.804798
Abstract
Bifidobacterium longum subspecies detected in infant stool have been associated with numerous subsequent health outcomes and are potential early markers of deviation from healthy developmental trajectories. This analysis derived indicators of carriage and early colonization with B. infantis and B. longum and quantified their associations with a panel of early-life exposures and outcomes. In a sub-study nested within a multi-site birth cohort, extant stool samples from infants in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tanzania were tested for presence and quantity of two Bifidobacterium longum subspecies. The results were matched to indicators of nutritional status, enteropathogen infection, histo-blood group antigens, vaccine response and feeding status and regression models were fitted to test for associations while adjusting for covariates. B. infantis was associated with lower quantity of and decreased odds of colonization with B. longum, and vice versa. Length at birth was associated with a 0.36 increase in log10 B. infantis and a 0.28 decrease in B. longum quantity at 1 month of age. B. infantis colonization was associated with fewer viral infections and small reductions in the risk of rotavirus and sapovirus infections, but not reduced overall diarrheal disease risk. No associations with vaccine responses, HBGAs or later nutritional status were identified. Suboptimal intrauterine growth and a shorter duration of exclusive breastfeeding may predispose infants to early intestinal colonization with the B. longum subspecies at the expense of B. infantis, thus denying them potential benefits of reduced enteric virus episodes.
Keywords: Bifidobacteria; cohort study; global health; infant nutrition; microbiome.
Research Insights
Supplement | Health Outcome | Effect Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|---|
Bifidobacterium | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis BI02 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis HA-116 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis M-63 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis MAK22B04I | No Change in Nutritional Status | Neutral | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis MAK22B04I | No Change in Vaccine Responses | Neutral | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis MAK22B04I | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis SD-6720 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium infantis VPro 53 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium lactis/longum | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium lactis/longum | Reduced Intestinal Colonization | Neutral | Moderate |
Bifidobacterium longum B1-05 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum BL03 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum HA-135 | Increased Birth Length | Neutral | Moderate |
Bifidobacterium longum HA-135 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum iVE-15 | Increased Birth Length | Neutral | Moderate |
Bifidobacterium longum iVE-15 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum SD-5588 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum SP54 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis M-63 | Increased Birth Length | Neutral | Moderate |
Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis M-63 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum UABI-14 | Increased Birth Length | Neutral | Moderate |
Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum UABI-14 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum UABI-14 | Increased Birth Length | Neutral | Moderate |
Bifidobacterium longum UABI-14 | Reduced Enteric Virus Infection Rates | Beneficial | Small |
Bifidobacterium longum UABl-14 | Reduced Viral Infection Incidence | Beneficial | Small |