The Role of Gut Microbiota in Early-Life Allergen Sensitization and Immune Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4247.2026.15.04.5Keywords:
Taxonomic Shift, Pro-Inflammatory Mediators, T-Helper Imbalance, Barrier Function, Flow Cytometric TypingAbstract
Background: Early-life microbial colonisation plays a pivotal role in shaping the infant immune system and influencing susceptibility to allergic diseases.
Objective: This study aimed to establish the relationship between the characteristics of the gut microbiota and the development of allergen sensitisation in infants during their first year of life.
Methods: The research was conducted in Poland at the Medical University of Warsaw between January 2022 and May 2023. The methodology involved prospective monitoring of 112 full-term infants, with sequential collection of faecal samples and microbiota analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequencing at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of age. Immunological assessment included the determination of total and specific IgE, flow cytometric cell typing, and multiplex analysis of serum cytokine levels.
Findings: The results indicated that infants with signs of sensitisation showed a reduction in microbial alpha-diversity from the 1st month of life (Shannon index: 2.15 vs 2.47), with statistically significant differences emerging from the 3rd month (p<0.05). Beta-diversity based on the Bray-Curtis metric revealed a persistent divergence in microbial communities depending on sensitisation status, most pronounced at 6 and 12 months. Sensitised infants exhibited an increased relative abundance of pro-inflammatory taxa, including Escherichia/Shigella and Klebsiella, whereas non-sensitised infants were dominated by immunoprotective microorganisms such as Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium. Furthermore, sensitised infants demonstrated early and sustained elevations in total and specific IgE, as well as a shift in the immune response towards a Th2 profile, characterised by increased levels of IL-4 and IL-5, a reduction in CD4+ T cells, and an increase in the proportion of CD19+ and NK cells.
Conclusion: The findings confirm the critical role of microbial diversity in immunological calibration and the development of the allergic phenotype. The results may be used in clinical practice by paediatricians, immunologists, and allergists for early diagnosis and risk assessment of allergic diseases in children, as well as in the development of microbiota-targeted interventions and sensitisation prevention strategies within primary healthcare and perinatal monitoring programmes.
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