The Role of Early Life Microbiota Composition in the Development of Allergic Diseases

Abstract

Allergic diseases are becoming a major healthcare issue in many developed nations, where living environment and lifestyle are most predominantly distinct. Such differences include urbanized, industrialized living environments, overused hygiene products, antibiotics, stationary lifestyle, and fast-food-based diets, which tend to reduce microbial diversity and lead to impaired immune protection, which further increase the development of allergic diseases. At the same time, studies have also shown that modulating a microbiocidal community can ameliorate allergic symptoms. Therefore, in this paper, we aimed to review recent findings on the potential role of human microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract, surface of skin, and respiratory tract in the development of allergic diseases. Furthermore, we addressed a potential therapeutic or even preventive strategy for such allergic diseases by modulating human microbial composition.

Keywords: allergic diseases; early life; microbiota.

Figure 1

Maternal influencing factors for development of allergic diseases in infants. Maternal infectious diseases [35,36], asthma [37], antibiotic exposure [38,39], and high fat (energy) diet increase the risk of asthma in infants. High fiber diet [40], and Vitamin D [41] supplement during pregnancy could decrease the rate of asthma in children. Maternal stress [42,43] and high age [44] contribute to the development of food allergy in infants. High-energy diet during pregnancy increases the risk of AD in infants [45], while probiotics or a mixture of probiotics protects infants from AD risk [46]. High maternal age and certain geographic location (i.e., Asia) are closely related to increased infant allergic sensitization [47]. (Arrows, upward: increased risk for allergic diseases; downward: decreased risk for allergic diseases). (Created with BioRender.com).

Figure 2

Influencing factors in the development of allergic diseases in infancy. Factors such as antibiotic exposure [77], preterm birth [78], formula feeding [79], and cesarean section delivery [80] increase the development of asthma in infants, while living in a big family [81] and farming environment [82] decrease asthma incidents. Increased birth weight [83] and combined feeding of breast milk and formula [84] increase food allergy development in childhood. (Arrows, upward: increased risk for allergic diseases; downward: decreased risk for allergic diseases). (Created with BioRender.com).

Figure 3

The role of maternal gut and milk microbiota and infant gut and lung microbiota in the development of asthma [59,91,105,117,127,128,129]. (Arrows, upward: increased relative abundance; downward: decreased relative abundance). (Created with BioRender.com).

Figure 4

The role of maternal gut and milk microbiota and infant gut and skin microbiota in the development of AD [33,137,138,139,140,141,142]. (Arrows, upward: increased relative abundance; downward: decreased relative abundance). (Created with BioRender.com).

Figure 5

The role of maternal gut and milk microbiota and infant gut and oral microbiota in the development of FA [140,142,169,170,171]. (Arrows, upward: increased relative abundance; downward: decreased relative abundance). (Created with BioRender.com).