Siblings are Reservoirs for Microbial Metabolic Processes that Influence Allergy Development

Horizontal sibling-to-infant transfer of microbes is thought to be important for shaping microbiome development and consequently its interaction with host immunological processes. In this study, we identified taxa and microbial metabolic pathways associated with siblings in the home, such as short chain fatty acid and tryptophan metabolism. Long-lasting close contact between cohabiting individuals that provides commensal microbes, not pathogens, may explain the hygiene hypothesis and protective effects against allergy development.