Thesis
Household composition and the infant fecal microbiome: a cross-cultural study
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2018
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/103086
Abstract
Establishment and development of the infant gastrointestinal microbiome (GIM) varies cross-culturally, and additionally is thought to be influenced by factors such as gestational age, birth mode, diet, and antibiotic exposure. However, there is a paucity of data as to how the social world of infants may play a role. Specifically, there is scarce and conflicting evidence with respect to how household size and family composition are related to the infant GIM, particularly from a cross-cultural perspective. Using fecal samples collected from 364 relatively healthy, breastfeeding infants across 10 sites in 8 different countries (Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Spain, Sweden, Peru, and the United States), we examined relationships between fecal microbiome (FM) diversity/composition and number of siblings, number of other household members, and overall household size. Fecal microbial community structure was determined by amplifying, sequencing, and classifying (to the genus level) the V1-V3 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Demographic surveys identified household members and composition. We did not find strong evidence that household composition significantly influences IF diversity, evenness, or richness, however, our results do indicate that variation in household composition corresponds to differential relative abundances of specific taxa (e.g. Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Enterobacter, and Klebsiella). This study, to our knowledge, is the largest international multi-cohort study examining the association between household composition and the infant FM. Our findings also contribute to the discussion concerning ways by which infants are influenced by their social environments. Additionally, these results add further dimensionality to the ongoing conversation regarding the "old friends" hypothesis, and the potential health implications of socially-mediated microbiota.
Metrics
25 File views/ downloads
24 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Household composition and the infant fecal microbiome
- Creators
- Avery Anne Lane
- Contributors
- Courtney L. Meehan (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525120101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis