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  • Clinical Research Article
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Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequencing microbiota among children with serological IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity

Pediatric Research volume 95, pages 241–250 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

We hypothesized that specific food hypersensitivity (FH) in children is linked to specific gut microbiota. The aim of our study was to quantify and evaluate differences in gut microbial composition among children with different IgE-mediated FH.

Methods

Children (n = 81) aged 18 to 36 months were enrolled, fecal samples of 57 children with FH and 24 healthy children were evaluated using next-generation sequencing. Individual microbial diversity and composition were analyzed via targeting the 16 S rRNA gene hypervariable V3-V5 regions.

Results

Children with IgE-mediated FH (in milk, egg white, soy) had significantly lower gut microbiota diversity and richness than healthy children. Children with IgE-mediated FH exhibited relatively high abundances of Firmicutes and relative underrepresentation of the phylum Bacteroidetes. We observed significant increases in relative abundances of Ruminococcaceae, Clostridiaceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae (p < 0.01, compared to control) in children with milk hypersensitivity and of Clostridiaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae (p < 0.01) in children with peanut hypersensitivity. We also found significant increases in the numbers of Clostridiaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Pasteurellaceae (p < 0.01) in children with egg white hypersensitivity.

Conclusions

These findings identify early evidence of different gut microbiota development/ differentiation in children with food hypersensitivity. Specific food hypersensitivities may be associated with compositional changes in intestinal microbiota.

Impact

  • These findings identify early evidence of different gut microbiota development/differentiation in children with food hypersensitivity.

  • We built a gut microbial profile that could identify toddlers at risk for food hypersensitivity.

  • Children with enriched Firmicutes (phylum) with partial different families may be associated with food hypersensitivity.

  • Enriched family Clostridiaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, or Erysipelotrichaceae in gut microbiota may be associated with specific food hypersensitivities (such as milk, egg white, peanut) in children.

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Fig. 1: Alterations in the gut microbiota in children with food hypersensitivities (FH).
Fig. 2: The differences in gut microbial composition between children with different FH (including milk, egg white, peanut or soy) and healthy control.
Fig. 3: LEfSe was used to identify the most differentially abundant taxa in the healthy control and specific kinds of food hypersensitivities.
Fig. 4: Classification of the different kind food sensitivities using bacterial level biomarkers based on 16S pyrosequencing data.
Fig. 5: Functional analyses were performed using phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt).

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Data availability

All the raw sequences were submitted to NCBI GenBank sequence reads archives (SRA) with the Bioproject SRA accession number: PRJNA860706.

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Acknowledgements

The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.

Funding

The research was supported in part by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital research project grant CORPG3F0071-3F0073, and National Science Council research project grant 105-2314-B-182A-107-MY2.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Chien-Chang Chen, Kun-Jei Chen, Man-Shan Kong & Hung-Ju Chang

  2. Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Chien-Chang Chen, Jing-Long Huang & Man-Chin Hua

  3. Division of Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, New Taipei Municipal Tu Cheng Hospital, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, New Taipei, Taiwan

    Jing-Long Huang

  4. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan

    Man-Chin Hua

  5. Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Yuan-Ming Yeh

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Contributions

K.J.C. and C.C.C. performed the majority of experiments; H.J.C., J.L.H., and C.C.C. provided vital reagents and analytical tools and were also involved in editing the manuscript; C.C.C., K.J.C., Y.M.Y., and M.C.H. contributed to analysis and interpretation of data; C.C.C. and J.L.H. designed the study and wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chien-Chang Chen.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Consent was provided by parents of all patients via written, informed consent prior to study initiation. Within the informed consent, they agreed to allow analysis of the research data and publication of the paper.

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Chen, CC., Huang, JL., Chen, KJ. et al. Comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequencing microbiota among children with serological IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity. Pediatr Res 95, 241–250 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02735-7

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