A feasibility study: association between gut microbiota enterotype and antibody response to seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine in adults

Abstract

ObjectiveWe investigated the potential feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of a nutritional intervention that may alter human gut microbiota and support immune defence against respiratory tract infection in adults (Proposed Study).MethodsIn total, 125 healthy adults aged 18–64 participated in a 6‐month study that measured antibody response to the seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine. We assessed completion rates, procedure adherence rates and the influence of possible exclusion criteria on potential recruitment into the Proposed Study. We examined whether the gut microbiota could be categorised into enterotypes, and whether there was an association between enterotypes and the antibody response to the influenza vaccine.ResultsThe participant completion rate was 97.6% (95% CI 93.1–99.5%). The proportions (95% CI) of participants who may be excluded for antibiotic or corticosteroid use in the 30 days prior to the study, or due to receiving the influenza vaccine in the previous two years were 9.6% (5.1–16.2), 8.0% (3.9–14.2) and 61.6% (52.5–70.2), respectively. All participants were stratified into four gut microbiota enterotypes. There was no association between these enterotypes and the antibody response to the influenza vaccine, although the study was not powered for this outcome.ConclusionThis study design is suitable for the Proposed Study. The completion rate is likely to be high, although exclusion criteria should be selected with care. Further analyses of gut microbiota composition or function in association with antibody and immune responses are warranted to explore the role of host–microbiota interactions on protective immunity.

Potential Association Between Dietary Fibre and Humoral Response to the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

“…122 healthy participants aged 18-64 received the 2016 trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) as part of our study. Detailed study characteristics are described elsewhere ( 16 ). At the first visit, participants provided a food diary completed across the prior 7 days along with a stool sample collected between day 3 and 7 of diary completion ( Figure 1A ).…”

“…122 healthy participants aged 18-64 received the 2016 trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) as part of this study. Detailed study characteristics are described elsewhere ( 16 ). All participants who completed the study were included in our analysis, unless otherwise stated.…”

“…To understand the role of diet and the microbiome on antibody responses to the 2016 Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (TIV), Influvac ® (Mylan, Illinois, USA) we previously performed and reported on a 6-month observational study on New Zealand adults who received TIV, collecting data on gut microbiota composition, diet, and humoral vaccine response ( 16 ) (Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number ACTRN1261500 1365550). Here, after conducting ad hoc analyses to assess the impact of dietary fibre intake on TIV-specific humoral immune responses, we identify a correlation between fibre consumption and vaccine responses in individuals who are naïve to previous influenza vaccination.…”

Absence of enterotypes in the human gut microbiomes reanalyzed with non-linear dimensionality reduction methods

“…However, enterotyping of the human gut has been applied in clinical research. Numerous studies claimed correlations between enterotypes and diet [40], [11], [55], [67], [49], [39], [54], [87], [85], inflammatory gut diseases [81], [10], [52], [22], [13], [31], [20], mental health [46], acne [21], stool composition [76], [78], colorectal cancer [74], circulatory diseases [38], [26], [23], psoriasis [15], and infections such as AIDS [56] and influenza [61], [70]. The idea that the information about the enterotype of an individual may be a helpful biomarker not only to correct gut diseases but also to aid other medical interventions [28] relies on the assumption that enterotypes are discontinuous clusters that are stable in time at least on the short scale; this has been challenged recently [12].…”

DataSheet_1.pdf

“…To understand the role of diet and the microbiome on antibody responses to the 2016 Trivalent Influenza Vaccine (TIV), Influvac ® (Mylan, Illinois, USA) we previously performed and reported on a 6-month observational study on New Zealand adults who received TIV, collecting data on gut microbiota composition, diet, and humoral vaccine response (16) (Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number ACTRN1261500 1365550). Here, after conducting ad hoc analyses to assess the impact of dietary fibre intake on TIVspecific humoral immune responses, we identify a correlation between fibre consumption and vaccine responses in individuals who are naïve to previous influenza vaccination.…”