Lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the development of the gut microbiome of babies born during these periods, according to new research from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Children’s Health Ireland and APC Microbiome Ireland. (APC), a leading global SFI. Research Centre, based at University College Cork.
Our gut microbiome, an ecosystem of microbes that live in our digestive tract, plays an essential role in human health. The study published in Allergy is the first to specifically explore newborn gut health during the pandemic. He revealed significant differences in the microbiome development of babies born during lockdown periods compared to pre-pandemic babies. Babies born during lockdown also had lower than expected rates of allergic conditions, such as food allergies.
The findings highlighted the gut health benefits of “pandemic babies” arising from the unique lockdown environment, including lower rates of infection and subsequent antibiotic use, and longer duration of breastfeeding. Newborns were found to have more beneficial microbes acquired after birth from their mothers. These maternal microbes could play a protective role against allergic diseases.
Professor Jonathan Hourihane, Head of the Department of Paediatrics at the RCSI, Consultant Pediatrician at Children’s Health Ireland Temple Street and co-lead author of the study, commented on the implications of the research: “This study offers a new perspective on the impact of social isolation. In In particular, the lower allergy rates among newborns during lockdown could highlight the impact of lifestyle and environmental factors, such as frequent antibiotic use, on the increase in allergic diseases.
“We hope to re-examine these children when they are 5 years old to see if there are long-term impacts of these interesting changes on the early gut microbiome.”
Professor Liam O’Mahony, Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland and Professor of Immunology at University College Cork, is joint senior author. He added: “While we all start life sterile, the communities of beneficial microbes that inhabit our gut develop during the first years of life. We took the opportunity to study microbiome development in babies raised during the early COVID-19 era, when strict social distancing restrictions were in place, as the complexity of early life exposures was reduced and this facilitated more accurate identification of key early life exposures. Prior to this study, it has been difficult to fully determine the relative contribution of these multiple environmental exposures and dietary factors to microbiome development in early life.
“A fascinating result is that due to reduced human exposure and protection against infection, only 17% of babies required an antibiotic by one year of age, which correlated with higher levels of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria. “The study has provided a rich repository of data, which we will continue to analyze and investigate in the future.”
Researchers from RCSI, CHI and APC Microbiome Ireland analyzed fecal samples from 351 babies born in the first three months of the pandemic, comparing them with pre-pandemic cohorts. The first were part of the CORAL project (Impact of the CoronaVirus pandemic on allergic and autoimmune dysregulation in babies born during lockdown). Online questionnaires were used to collect information on diet, family environment, and health. Stool samples were collected at 6, 12, and 24 months and allergy testing was performed at 12 and 24 months.
‘Association between gut microbiota development and allergy in babies born during pandemic-related social distancing restrictions’ was carried out in collaboration with University College Cork, the University of Helsinki, the University of Colorado, the Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Children’s Health Ireland, the Rotunda Hospital and The Coombe. Hospital.
The CORAL study was supported by the Temple Street Hospital Foundation in Dublin, Ireland, and the Clemens von Pirquet Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland.