Early life antibiotic-driven changes in microbiota enhance susceptibility to allergic asthma

Allergic asthma rates have increased steadily in developed countries arguing for an environmental etiology. To assess the influence of gut microbiota on experimental murine allergic asthma, we treated neonatal mice with clinical doses of two widely used antibiotics (streptomycin and vancomycin) and evaluated resulting shifts in resident flora and subsequent susceptibility to allergic asthma. Streptomycin treatment had little effect, whereas vancomycin enhanced disease severity. Neither antibiotic had a significant effect when administered to adult mice. Consistent with the “hygiene hypothesis” our data argue for a neonatal, specific microbiota-driven increase in susceptibility to experimental murine allergic asthma.