Researchers from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University have discovered that certain gut bacteria may reduce the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine.
A study by researchers at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University indicates that specific types of gut bacteria can limit the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine.
Under the leadership of Drs. Vu L. Ngo and Andrew T. Gewirtz, the research, published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, reveals that gut microbiota, especially the vast number of bacteria inhabiting a person’s intestines, can impact how well a child responds to the rotavirus vaccine. This can leave some vaccinated children vulnerable to rotavirus infections and severe illness.
Rotavirus is a highly contagious virus affecting infants and young children, leading to severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal discomfort. Infected children are at risk of dehydration, and some may need hospitalization. While rotavirus vaccines are very effective in the United States and Europe, their effectiveness is often lower in certain low-income regions.
These vaccines are given orally and contain live, weakened viruses that need to infect the intestines to provide immunity. The level of protection varies greatly between individuals, prompting researchers to explore whether gut microbiota composition influences vaccine effectiveness.
In their research, the scientists studied the effects of human microbiomes on rotavirus vaccination by transplanting gut microbes from children with strong or weak responses to the vaccine into mice. They found that mice receiving microbes from highly responsive individuals shed a significant amount of rotavirus antigens and produced a strong antibody response. Conversely, mice receiving microbes from less responsive children showed only a slight increase in rotavirus antibodies, remaining susceptible to the virus.
DNA sequencing of the microbiomes indicated a potential role for Clostridium perfringens, a type of bacteria that can sometimes cause illness but is also found in some healthy individuals. When this bacterium was given to mice, it partly replicated the characteristics of non-responders to the rotavirus vaccine. Re-analysis of existing data suggested that higher levels of C. perfringens in children were linked to a reduced effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine.
In summary, the researchers concluded that the composition of gut microbiota affects the effectiveness of the rotavirus vaccine, with C. perfringens serving as one example among many microbes that may contribute to vaccine failure.
“Our results suggest that C. perfringens could be part of a group of microbes, including various bacteria and viruses, that influence the infection and the immune response generated by the rotavirus vaccine,” said Gewirtz.
Other contributors to this study include Yanling Wang, Yadong Wang, and Jun Zou from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State, Zhenda Shi from the same institute alongside Cherokee Federal and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Britton and Sasirekha Ramani from the Baylor College of Medicine, and Baoming Jiang from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
