Gut bacteria abundance and T cell marker expression in African infants
Dr Jaspan investigated the effect of exclusive breastfeeding and nonexclusive breastfeeding on South African infants’ microbiome and immune responses. Dr Jaspan and her co-author found that exclusive breastfed (EBF) infants have altered gut bacteria when compared to nonexclusively breastfed (NEBF) infants. They also found that peripheral CD4+ T cell activation was reduced and chemokine and chemokine receptor expression were also reduced in the oral mucosa in EBF infants. The researchers also demonstrated that the abundance of key bacteria taxa was correlated with peripheral CD4+ T cell activation.
Dr Jaspan and her colleague used compositional data analyses to identify shifts in the amount of several Bifidobacteria strains relative to select strains of Escherichia, Bacteroides, and others that are associated with the transition to NEBF. They found that the abundance ratio of the bacteria taxa is tightly correlated with breastfeeding and is a strong predictor of peripheral T cell activation.
The researchers nominate Bifidobacteria as a target for potential probiotics and therapeutics in assisting infants where exclusive breastfeeding is not possible.
Read the paper - Compositional analyses reveal correlations between taxon-level gut bacterial abundance and peripheral T cell marker expression in African infants
Article by Bonamy Holtak