Allergy development and the intestinal microflora during the first year of life

Abstract

Background: The intestinal microflora is a likely source for the induction of immune deviation in infancy. Objective: The purpose of this study was to prospectively relate the intestinal microflora to allergy development in 2 countries differing withrespect to the prevalence of atopic diseases. Methods: Newborn infants were followed prospectively through the first 2 years of life in Estonia (n = 24) and Sweden (n = 20). By that age, 9 Estonian and 9 Swedish infants had developed atopic dermatitis and/or positive skin prick test results. Stool samples were obtained at 5 to 6 days and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, and 13 groups of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms were cultivated through use of standard methods. Results: In comparison with healthy infants, babies who developed allergy were less often colonized with enterococci during the first month of life (72% vs 96%; P