Prenatal household size and composition are associated with infant fecal bacterial diversity in Cebu, Philippines

Melissa B. Manus*, Elijah Watson, Sahana Kuthyar, Delia Carba, Nikola M. Belarmino, Thomas W. McDade, Christopher W. Kuzawa, Katherine R. Amato

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objectives: The gut microbiome (GM) connects physical and social environments to infant health. Since the infant GM affects immune system development, there is interest in understanding how infants acquire microbes from mothers and other household members. Materials and Methods: As a part of the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), we paired fecal samples (proxy for the GM) collected from infants living in Metro Cebu, Philippines at 2 weeks (N = 39) and 6 months (N = 36) with maternal interviews about prenatal household composition. We hypothesized that relationships between prenatal household size and composition and infant GM bacterial diversity (as measured in fecal samples) would vary by infant age, as well as by household member age and sex. We also hypothesized that infant GM bacterial abundances would differ by prenatal household size and composition. Results: Data from 16 S rRNA bacterial gene sequencing show that prenatal household size was the most precise estimator of infant GM bacterial diversity, and that the direction of the association between this variable and infant GM bacterial diversity changed between the two time points. The abundances of bacterial families in the infant GM varied by prenatal household variables. Conclusions: Results highlight the contributions of various household sources to the bacterial diversity of the infant GM, and suggest that prenatal household size is a useful measure for estimating infant GM bacterial diversity in this cohort. Future research should measure the effect of specific sources of household bacterial exposures, including social interactions with caregivers, on the infant GM.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)45-58
Number of pages14
JournalAmerican Journal of Biological Anthropology
Volume181
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2023

Funding

First, the authors thank the study participants in the CLHNS cohort as well as collaborators at the Office of Population Studies at the University of San Carlos in the Philippines. The authors also thank the following Northwestern University students and research interns for their work in the laboratory: Amelia Baldwin, Brian Cho, Soumya Jhaveri, Madelyn Moy, and Ella Rubenstein. The authors are grateful for the assistance of Daniel Ash, as well the DNA Services Facility at the University of Illinois-Chicago. This research was supported in part through the computational resources and staff contributions provided for the Quest high-performance computing facility at Northwestern University which is jointly supported by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Research, and Northwestern University Information Technology. This study was also supported by funding from Northwestern University, including a Weinberg Award, as well as the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). KRA is a Fellow in CIFAR's Humans and the Microbiome Program and TWM is a Fellow in CIFAR's Child Brain and Development Program. The funding agencies had no role in shaping this research, and the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. First, the authors thank the study participants in the CLHNS cohort as well as collaborators at the Office of Population Studies at the University of San Carlos in the Philippines. The authors also thank the following Northwestern University students and research interns for their work in the laboratory: Amelia Baldwin, Brian Cho, Soumya Jhaveri, Madelyn Moy, and Ella Rubenstein. The authors are grateful for the assistance of Daniel Ash, as well the DNA Services Facility at the University of Illinois‐Chicago. This research was supported in part through the computational resources and staff contributions provided for the Quest high‐performance computing facility at Northwestern University which is jointly supported by the Office of the Provost, the Office for Research, and Northwestern University Information Technology. This study was also supported by funding from Northwestern University, including a Weinberg Award, as well as the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). KRA is a Fellow in CIFAR's Humans and the Microbiome Program and TWM is a Fellow in CIFAR's Child Brain and Development Program. The funding agencies had no role in shaping this research, and the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Keywords

  • household composition
  • infant microbiome
  • social environment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Anthropology
  • General Medicine
  • Anatomy

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