Impact of antimicrobial exposure at delivery and siblings on early Bifidobacterium succession and allergy development up to 24 months of age.

Abstract

Background: Allergic diseases such as asthma, eczema, and food allergies are rising globally. The infant gut microbiota, particularly the dominance of Bifidobacterium, shapes immune development and allergy risk. In Japan-where Bifidobacterium prevalence is notably high-longitudinal investigations focusing on the pre-weaning period, when external influences are relatively limited, remain scarce. Therefore, based on consistent hypotheses and findings from previous studies, we investigated how two important early factors-antibiotic exposure at birth and the presence of older siblings-influence the gut environment in early infancy and subsequent allergy development.

Results: In a prospective cohort of 121 Japanese infants, stool samples were collected at seven time points from birth through 24 months. We quantified the relative abundances of Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium, and Faecalibacterium and recorded allergic outcomes at 2 years. Both antimicrobial exposure at delivery and sibling presence significantly altered gut microbiota composition and overall diversity in early infancy. Although the full cohort showed no consistent diversity or Bifidobacterium differences by allergic status, in several subgroups where these two factors were excluded, infants who had an allergy by 24 months exhibited marked shifts in early gut microbiota community structure-particularly in beta diversity-and reduced Bifidobacterium occupancy during the pre-weaning period (1-6 months) versus non-allergic peers. Moreover, infants whose gut microbiota was initially affected by these factors showed a recovery in diversity after weaning, a rebound more pronounced in non-allergic individuals.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that both the initial community configuration and its capacity to rebound after perturbation are critical determinants of allergy risk. By focusing on dynamic changes through weaning and adjusting for decisive confounders, this study refines insight beyond prior cross-sectional work. Early interventions that preserve or restore microbial diversity and Bifidobacterium dominance may therefore offer a promising strategy to mitigate allergic disease development.