The developing airway and gut microbiota in early life is influenced by age of older siblings
E. D. Christensen, Mathis Hjort Hjelmsø, Jonathan Thorsen, Shiraz A. Shah, Tamsin Redgwell, Christina Egeø Poulsen, Urvish Trivedi, Jakob Russel, Shashank Gupta, Bo Chawes, Klaus Bønnelykke, Søren J. Sørensen, Morten Arendt Rasmussen, Hans Bisgaard, Jakob Stokholm
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Growing up with siblings has been linked to numerous health outcomes and is also an important determinant for the developing microbiota. Nonetheless, research into the role of having siblings on the developing microbiota has mainly been incidental. RESULTS: cohort, starting at 1 week of age and continuing until 6 years of age. Sibship was evaluated longitudinally and used for stratification. Microbiota composition was assessed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the variable V4 region. We found siblings in the home to be one of the most important determinants of the developing microbiota in both the airway and gut, with significant differences in alpha diversity, beta diversity, and relative abundances of the most abundant taxa, with the specific associations being particularly apparent during the first year of life. The age gap to the closest older sibling was more important than the number of older siblings. The signature of having siblings in the gut microbiota at 1 year was associated with protection against asthma at 6 years of age, while no associations were found for allergy. CONCLUSIONS: Having siblings is one of the most important factors influencing a child's developing microbiota, and the specific effects may explain previously established associations between siblings and asthma and infectious diseases. As such, siblings should be considered in all studies involving the developing microbiota, with emphasis on the age gap to the closest older sibling rather than the number of siblings. Video abstract.