Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Immune-microbe interactions early in life: A determinant of health and disease long term

Petter Brodin

Science · 2022

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Summary

This review synthesises research on newborn immunity and postnatal adaptation to environmental exposures, particularly the establishment of immune-microbe mutualism. Brodin proposes that mismatches between ancestral early-life environments and modern industrialised conditions lead to dysregulation of immune-microbe interactions, contributing to rising incidences of allergies and autoimmunity. The paper integrates evidence on maternal antibody transfer, commensal microbiota development, and environmental factors shaping lifelong immune homeostasis.

Regional applicability

The review's observations on rising immune-mediated disease incidence in industrialised nations are directly relevant to United Kingdom epidemiology and public health. The framework linking environmental mismatch to immune dysregulation has implications for early-childhood interventions and dietary/environmental exposures in UK settings, though the review itself does not present UK-specific data.

Key measures

Immune development trajectories; microbiome composition and function; prevalence of allergies and autoimmune diseases in industrialised nations

Outcomes reported

The review examines how early-life immune-microbe mutualism develops and how perturbations thereof contribute to immune-mediated diseases. It proposes that environmental mismatches between ancestral and modern conditions explain dysregulation of immune-microbe interactions.

Theme
Nutrition & health
Subject
Gut microbiome & human health
Study type
Narrative Review
Study design
Narrative review
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
System type
Human clinical
DOI
10.1126/science.abk2189
Catalogue ID
SNmpyz6e1s-cag8ms

Topic tags

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