Abstract
The development of the gut microbiome occurs mainly during the first years of life; however, little is known on the role of environmental and socioeconomic exposures, particularly within the household, in shaping the microbial ecology through childhood. We characterized differences in the gut microbiome of school-age healthy children, in association with socioeconomic disparities and household crowding. Stool samples were analyzed from 176 Israeli Arab children aged six to nine years from three villages of different socioeconomic status (SES). Sociodemographic data were collected through interviews with the mothers. We used 16 S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the gut microbiome, including an inferred analysis of metabolic pathways. Differential analysis was performed using the analysis of the composition of microbiomes (ANCOM), with adjustment for covariates. An analysis of inferred metagenome functions was performed implementing PICRUSt2. Gut microbiome composition differed across the villages, with the largest difference attributed to socioeconomic disparities, with household crowding index being a significant explanatory variable. Living in a low SES village and high household crowding were associated with increased bacterial richness and compositional differences, including an over-representation of Prevotella copri and depleted Bifidobacterium. Secondary bile acid synthesis, d-glutamine and d-glutamate metabolism and Biotin metabolism were decreased in the lower SES village. In summary, residential SES is a strong determinant of the gut microbiome in healthy school-age children, mediated by household crowding and characterized by increased bacterial richness and substantial taxonomic and metabolic differences. Further research is necessary to explore possible implications of SES-related microbiome differences on children’s health and development.
Highlights
The colonization of the human gut with microorganisms begins at birth and is characterized by a succession of microbial consortia, which is influenced by changes in diet and life events[1]
At the highest detection level of 0.9, we observed significantly increased abundances of the family Ruminococcaceae and the genera Prevotella copri, Dialister, Eubacterium biforme, Ruminococcaceae Oscillospira and Sutterella, and depleted abundance of Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Alistipes putredinis, Alistipes onderdonkii, Clostridium, and Ruminococcus in village C compared to villages A and B (Fig. 2c−m)
We examined the relationships between socioeconomic disparities, household crowding index and the gut microbiome of healthy school-age children
Summary
The colonization of the human gut with microorganisms begins at birth and is characterized by a succession of microbial consortia, which is influenced by changes in diet and life events[1]. During the first few years of life, the gut microbiome gradually develops its structure and function, driven by genetic disposition and environmental exposures. In contrast to the common belief that the gut microbiome approaches adult (and relatively stable) levels in early childhood[2], recent findings demonstrated substantial functional and taxonomic bacterial differences in the gut microbiota of healthy children with respect to those of adults, suggesting that the gut microbiome may develop more slowly than previously thought[3–8]. While the association between early life determinants and the development of the gut microbiome in infancy has been investigated, the potential persistent influence of environmental factors on the gut microbial community at later childhood remains largely unknown[9]. Recent cross-sectional studies highlighted the importance of environmental features in shaping the microbiome throughout the life cycle[10–13]. A better understanding of the separate influences of socioeconomic indicators on the gut microbiome is essential given the growing evidence on the importance of the microbiome in human health and disease, and the role of social determinants in health disparities
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