title: Age-associated effect of kestose on Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and symptoms in the atopic dermatitis infants.
abstract: Although Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is a major bacterium in the intestine of adults, which is known to have anti-inflammatory effects, the development in infants or the response to prebiotics remains unclear.
  
  
  
  The counts of F. prausnitzii in the feces were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fecal samples were obtained from 65 atopic dermatitis (AD) infants who participated in a randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate the therapeutic effect of kestose, the smallest fructooligosaccharide.
  
  
  
  Although the F. prausnitzii count was undetectable level in most 0- to 1-y-old infants, the count reached a level comparable to that in adults in 2- to 5-y-old infants. The bacterial number increased about 10-fold by oral administration of kestose every day for 12 wk in the younger infants, but not so much in the older infants. This bacterial increase was significantly correlated with an improvement in the AD symptoms in the older infants.
  
  
  
  The F. prausnitzii population in the intestine reaches a level comparable to that in adult at approximately 2 y of age. Kestose efficiently stimulates the growth of this bacterium in the intestine, which might lead to an improvement in AD symptoms in infants.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Infectious Diseases, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.affiliation: Medical Information Center, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shouji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.affiliation: B Food Science Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Fuyuhiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: B Food Science Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.affiliation: B Food Science Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tochio
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fukuoka National Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Youko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fukuoka Higashi Medical Center, Koga, Japan.
authors.forename: Natsuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fukuoka Higashi Medical Center, Koga, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun-Ichirou
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Tezuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sudo
authors.affiliation: Director, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Fukuoka National Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Rumiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shibata
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D000070037:Faecalibacterium prausnitzii / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D056692:Prebiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D056692:Prebiotics; C116580:fructooligosaccharide