Gut Colonization by Methanogenic Archaea Is Associated with Organic Dairy Consumption in Children.
The gut microbiota represents a complex and diverse ecosystem with a profound impact on human health, promoting immune maturation, and host metabolism as well as colonization resistance. Important members that have often been disregarded are the methanogenic archaea. Methanogenic archaea reduce hydrogen levels via the production of methane, thereby stimulating food fermentation by saccharolytic bacteria. On the other hand, colonization by archaea has been suggested to promote a number of gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases such as colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and obesity. Archaea have been shown to be absent during infancy while omnipresent in school-aged children, suggesting that colonization may result from environmental exposure during childhood. The factors that determine the acquisition of methanogenic archaea, however, have remained undefined. Therefore, we aimed to explore determinants associated with the acquisition of the two main gastrointestinal archaeal species,Methanobrevibacter smithiiandMethanosphaera stadtmanae, in children. Within the context of the KOALA Birth Cohort Study, fecal samples from 472 children aged 6-10 years were analyzed for the abundance ofM. smithiiandM. stadtmanaeusing qPCR. Environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle, hygiene, child rearing, and medication were recorded by repeated questionnaires. The relationship between these determinants and the presence and abundance of archaea was analyzed by logistic and linear regression respectively. Three hundred and sixty-nine out of the 472 children (78.2%) were colonized byM. smithii, and 39 out of the 472 children (8.3%) byM. stadtmanae. The consumption of organic yogurt (odds ratio: 4.25, CI95: 1.51; 11.95) and the consumption of organic milk (odds ratio: 5.58, CI95: 1.83; 17.01) were positively associated with the presence ofM. smithii. We subsequently screened raw milk, processed milk, and yogurt samples for methanogens. We identified milk products as possible source forM. smithii, but notM. stadtmanae. In conclusion,M. smithiiseems present in milk products and their consumption may determine archaeal gut colonization in children. For the first time, a large variety of determinants have been explored in association with gut colonization by methanogenic archaea. Although more information is needed to confirm and unravel the mechanisms in detail, it provides new insights on microbial colonization processes in early life.
Department of Epidemiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht UniversityMaastricht, Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Grow - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht UniversityMaastricht, Netherlands.
Jeroen A A
JA
van de Pol
Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical CentreMaastricht, Netherlands; Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH Aachen University HospitalAachen, Germany.
Niels
N
van Best
Department of Epidemiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands.
Catherine A
CA
Mbakwa
Department of Epidemiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands.
Carel
C
Thijs
Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical CentreMaastricht, Netherlands; Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University Medical CentreMaastricht, Netherlands.
Paul H
PH
Savelkoul
Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology and Department of Epidemiology, School for Cardiovascular Diseases (CARIM), Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands.
Ilja C W
IC
Arts
Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital Aachen, Germany.
Mathias W
MW
Hornef
Department of Epidemiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands.
Monique
M
Mommers
Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical CentreMaastricht, Netherlands; Department of Medical Microbiology, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University Medical CentreMaastricht, Netherlands.
John
J
Penders
M. smithii; archaea; child; dairy products; gut; infant; microbiota; milk