Grant: Team Grant: Intestinal Microbiomics

Chronic inflammatory diseases are on the rise in the westernized world, correlating to various environmental factors. There is growing evidence that the negative effects of these factors on human health are mediated via gut microbiota (GM) alterations. We hypothesize that bacteriophages (phages; viruses attacking bacteria) play a pivotal role in shaping the GM during early life and thus also influence the risk of later disease development. The aim of EarlyVir is to investigate how the gut virome is influenced by feeding regimes and dietary supplementation and to study the role of the early-life virome in chronic childhood disorders. The foundation of the project is the unmatched mother-child Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, COPSAC2010 cohort. COPSAC2010 follow 738 unselected pregnant women and their 700 children from pregnancy week 24 and during the first 6 years of life. The children in COPSAC2010 were randomized to one of four groups receiving either no supplement (control group); vitamin D, n-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or both. From this cohort we will extract intact viromes from fecal samples obtained at 1 year of life; sequence, assemble and annotate the viromes; establish phage-host pairs (using a cultivation-based approach) and study CRISPR-Cas defense mechanisms in the GM. The novelty of this project lies in the analysis of the early life gut virome of 700 children at the age of 1 year. Influence of diet (breast vs. formula feeding) will be the primary focus point, but it is likely that novel findings on the impact of birth mode and dietary supplementation on the gut virome will also emerge. We will examine the correlation between the earlylife gut virome and disease development, focusing on asthma, eczema and allergic sensitization. This will provide key information on the role of the gut virome in disease development and will contribute to identify microbial markers predisposing for either health or disease development.