Persistent effects of early infant diet and associated microbiota on the juvenile immune system

• Published in: Gut microbes Vol. 6; no. 4; pp. 284 - 289
• Main Authors: Narayan, Nicole R, Méndez-Lagares, Gema, Ardeshir, Amir, Lu, Ding, Van Rompay, Koen K A, Hartigan-O'Connor, Dennis J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 04.07.2015
• Subjects: 17 cells; Addendum; Animals; Animals, Newborn; breast-milk; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Diet - methods; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; gut microbiota; Immune System - physiology; Immunologic Memory; Infant Formula - administration & dosage; Macaca mulatta; Milk, Human; rhesus macaque; T cell activation; rhesus macaque; T cell activation; breast-milk; TH17 cells; gut microbiota
• ISSN: 1949-0976; 1949-0984
• DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2015.1067743

Early infant diet has significant impacts on the gut microbiota and developing immune system. We previously showed that breast-fed and formula-fed rhesus macaques develop significantly different gut microbial communities, which in turn are associated with different immune systems in infancy. Breast-fed animals manifested greater T cell activation and proliferation and harbored robust pools of T helper 17 (T H 17) cells. These differences were sustained throughout the first year of life. Here we examine groups of juvenile macaques (approximately 3 to 5 y old), which were breast-fed or formula-fed in infancy. We demonstrate that juveniles breast-fed in infancy maintain immunologic differences into the fifth year of life, principally in CD8 + memory T cell activation. Additionally, long-term correlation networks show that breast-fed animals maintain persistent relationships between immune subsets that are not seen in formula-fed animals. These findings demonstrate that infant feeding practices have continued influence on immunity for up to 3 to 5 y after birth and also reveal mechanisms for microbial modulation of the immune system.