Background
Preterm birth is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children. Non-invasive
Conclusions
We report a non-invasive method for establishing a gut immunological and Archaeal signature in preterm neonates, predictive of atopic diseases at the age of one year.
Methods
Meconium and stool were collected from preterm neonates and used to develop a standardized stool preparation method for the assessment of mediators and cytokines and characterize the qPCR kinetics of gut MA. Analysis addressed the relationship between immunological biomarkers, Archaea abundance, and atopic disease at age one.
Objective
To characterize the gut immunological and methanogenic Archaeal (MA) signature in preterm neonates, using the presence or absence of atopic conditions at the age of one year as a clinical endpoint.
Results
Immunoglobulin E, tryptase, calprotectin, EDN, cytokines, and MA were detectable in the meconium and later samples. Atopic conditions at age of one year were positively associated with neonatal EDN, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-6, and MA abundance. The latter was negatively associated with neonatal EDN, IL-1β, and IL-6. Conclusions: We report a non-invasive method for establishing a gut immunological and Archaeal signature in preterm neonates, predictive of atopic diseases at the age of one year.