Abstract
The increase in allergy prevalence observed in recent decades may be a consequence of early intestinal dysbiosis. The intestinal microbiota is formed in the first 1000 days of life, when it is particularly sensitive to various factors, such as the composition of the mother’s microbiota, type of delivery, infant’s diet, number of siblings, contact with animals, and antibiotic therapy. Breastfeeding and vaginal birth favorably affect the formation of an infant’s intestinal microbiota and protect against allergy development. The intestinal microbiota of these infants is characterized by an early dominance of Bifidobacterium, which may have a significant impact on the development of immune tolerance. Bifidobacterium breve is a species commonly isolated from the intestines of healthy breastfed infants and from human milk. This review outlines the most important environmental factors affecting microbiota formation and the importance of Bifidobacterium species (with a particular emphasis on Bifidobacterium breve) in microbiota modulation towards anti-allergic processes. In addition, we present the concept, which assumes that infant formulas containing specific probiotic Bifidobacterium breve strains and prebiotic oligosaccharides may be useful in allergy management in non-breastfed infants.
Highlights
Allergic diseases are one of the leading medical challenges in highly developed countries, where the proportion of affected individuals may already exceed 30% and is constantly rising [1,2]
We present the concept which assumes that infant formulas containing a combination of specific probiotic Bifidobacterium breve strains and prebiotic oligosaccharides may be useful in allergy management in non-breastfed infants
By the age of approximately 2–3 years, the baby’s microbiota is stabilized, and its composition resembles that of adults’ microbiota, with predominance of Bacteroidetes [14,15]. This natural development of gut microbiota is often disturbed by C-sections, formula feeding, and antibiotic therapy [16,17,18]—i.e., dysbiosis-inducing factors that correlate with an increased risk of allergies
Summary
Allergic diseases are one of the leading medical challenges in highly developed countries, where the proportion of affected individuals may already exceed 30% and is constantly rising [1,2]. The rise in allergy prevalence may be associated with the so-called ‘western lifestyle’: improved hygiene, frequent use of antibiotics, reduced family size, altered eating habits (consumption of highly processed foods), general urbanization, and limited contact with nature [3,4]. Not without significance is the growing number of Caesarean sections (C-sections), which correlates with an increased incidence of food allergy (FA) and asthma [5,6]. All these factors, which are associated with progressive development of societies and increase the risk of allergies, greatly affect the intestinal microbiota—currently considered to be a ‘super organ’, necessary for the proper functioning of the immune system and the development of immune tolerance [7]. We present the concept which assumes that infant formulas containing a combination of specific probiotic Bifidobacterium breve strains and prebiotic oligosaccharides may be useful in allergy management in non-breastfed infants
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