The Role of Bifidobacterium Colonization and Microbial Diversity in the Gastrointestinal Microbiome on the Development of Allergic Proctocolitis in Early Infancy

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dc.contributorHerd, Teresa
dc.contributorFink, Rachel
dc.contributor.advisorAndras, Jason
dc.contributor.authorSeay, Hannah
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-29T14:47:42Z
dc.date.available2017-06-29T14:47:42Z
dc.date.gradyear2017en_US
dc.date.issued2017-06-29
dc.description.abstractMicrobial dysbiosis is proposed to impair immune system maturation and thus contribute to the development of allergic disease in early infancy (Azad et al., 2015; Cseh et al., 2010). However the role of the microbiome in allergic proctocolitis remains unknown. Bifidobacterium is proposed to play a protective role in the development of allergic disease by promoting the development of Th1 and T regulatory cells (Cseh et al., 2010). This study seeks to evaluate the diversity, microbial distribution, and relative abundance of Bifidobacterium in the gastrointestinal tract of control versus allergic proctocolitis infants in the first two weeks of life. At the baseline visit, controls had a greater relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, a trend towards higher microbial diversity, and no statistically significant differences in Bifidobacterium compared to allergic proctocolitis cases. No differences were noted between allergic proctocolitis cases and controls in any measure tested at the two-week visit. Additionally, interesting patterns emerged in individual infants suggesting an increase in Bifidobacterium in controls and a decrease in allergic proctocolitis cases from the baseline to two-week visit. Overall, these findings confirm that microbial alterations may contribute to the development of allergic proctocolitis and highlight the need for additional future research.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipBiological Sciencesen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/4060
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedrestricteden_US
dc.subjectmicrobiomeen_US
dc.subjectallergic proctocolitisen_US
dc.subjectfood allergyen_US
dc.titleThe Role of Bifidobacterium Colonization and Microbial Diversity in the Gastrointestinal Microbiome on the Development of Allergic Proctocolitis in Early Infancyen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

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