Microbial signature in IgE-mediated food allergies

Abstract

Background Multiple studies suggest a key role for gut microbiota in IgE-mediated food allergy (FA) development, but to date, none has studied it in the persistent state. Methods To characterize the gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs) profiles associated with major food allergy groups, we recruited 233 patients with FA including milk (N = 66), sesame (N = 38), peanut (N = 71), and tree nuts (N = 58), and non-allergic controls (N = 58). DNA was isolated from fecal samples, and 16S rRNA gene sequences were analyzed. SCFAs in stool were analyzed from patients with a single allergy (N = 84) and controls (N = 31). Results The gut microbiota composition of allergic patients was significantly different compared to age-matched controls both in α-diversity and β-diversity. Distinct microbial signatures were noted for FA to different foods. Prevotella copri (P. copri) was the most overrepresented species in non-allergic controls. SCFAs levels were significantly higher in the non-allergic compared to the FA groups, whereas P. copri significantly correlated with all three SCFAs. We used these microbial differences to distinguish between FA patients and non-allergic healthy controls with an area under the curve of 0.90, and for the classification of FA patients according to their FA types using a supervised learning algorithm. Bacteroides and P. copri were identified as taxa potentially contributing to KEGG acetate-related pathways enriched in non-allergic compared to FA. In addition, overall pathway dissimilarities were found among different FAs. Conclusions Our results demonstrate a link between IgE-mediated FA and the composition and metabolic activity of the gut microbiota.

A Systematic Review of Metabolic Alterations Underlying IgE‐Mediated Food Allergy in Children

“…SCFAs promote the growth of beneficial intraluminal bacteria and homeostasis through the maintenance of an intact gastrointestinal barrier. [35,40,73] Additionally, they have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in animal models, as they support the expansion of Treg cells and upregulate the production of interleukin (IL)-10 by increasing the expression of transcription factor FOXP3 (Forkhead box protein 3) via inhibition of histone deacetylation (Figure 3). [40,73,74] Several authors observed lower levels of acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate in feces of allergic children, [35,73] or children who will develop IgE-FA (>1 year old), [40] while Thompson-Chagoyan et al (2011) showed higher concentrations of fecal butyrate and BSCFA in children with IgE-FA (< 1 year old).…”

Pathogenesis of Children’s Allergic Diseases: Refocusing the Role of the Gut Microbiota

“…In addition, there is evidence that the dysbiosis of the GI microbiota prior to FA subsequently impacts the progression of FA. An investigation by Goldberg et al (2020) discovered that babies with food allergies showed a lower abundance of Prevotella copri than babies without food allergies, with the concomitant increase in SCFAs, which may destroy intestinal homeostasis and barrier function. Currently, microbiota-directed therapy has been a new focus for the treatment of food allergies, and studies with larger sample sizes are needed to clarify the specific effects ( Schuijs et al, 2015 ).…”

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Immunoglobulin G Abnormalities and the Therapeutic Use of Intravenous Immunoglobulins (IVIG) in Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Clearly this is an important and promising area of research. Interestingly, eosinophilic esophagitis is associated with IgE-mediated food allergies which is associated with enteric microbiome alterations in non-ASD children [90,91]. As microbiome imbalances have been associated with ASD [92] and may have important consequences in immune regulation [93], microbiome alterations may be playing a role in immune dysregulation in ASD.…”