Publications by authors named "Alyson Richard"
Background: The analysis of sputum is the principal basis for characterising lower airway microbiology in those with chronic respiratory conditions. For such analysis to be informative, samples that poorly reflect the lower airways must be identified and removed. Our cross-sectional study explored the relationship between the quality of sputum samples and their microbiological content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccumulating evidence indicates that antibiotic exposure may lead to impaired vaccine responses; however, the mechanisms underlying this association remain poorly understood. Here we prospectively followed 191 healthy, vaginally born, term infants from birth to 15 months, using a systems vaccinology approach to assess the effects of antibiotic exposure on immune responses to vaccination. Exposure to direct neonatal but not intrapartum antibiotics was associated with significantly lower antibody titres against various polysaccharides in the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and the Haemophilus influenzae type b polyribosylribitol phosphate and diphtheria toxoid antigens in the combined 6-in-1 Infanrix Hexa vaccine at 7 months of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. As SLD pathogenesis has been linked to gut microbiome alterations, we aimed to identify SLD-associated gut microbiome features early in SLD development by utilising a highly characterised cohort of community-dwelling younger adults.
Methods And Results: At age 27 years, 588 participants of the Raine Study Generation 2 underwent cross-sectional assessment.
Article Synopsis
- Probiotics are being studied for their potential health benefits, but their effectiveness varies greatly among individuals.
- A study investigated whether a genetic variant influencing mucosal α(1,2)-fucosylated glycan production affects how different mice respond to probiotics, particularly Bifidobacterium strains.
- Results showed that mice with the genetic variant (Fut2WT) had better retention of B. infantis after antibiotics, while those without it (Fut2KO) had different persistence patterns, emphasizing the impact of genetics and gut conditions on probiotic effectiveness.
Article Synopsis
- Long-term low-dose macrolide therapy, used for chronic respiratory diseases, can alter gut microbiome composition, potentially impacting immune and metabolic regulation in the body.
- In a study with healthy adults, low-dose erythromycin and azithromycin led to changes in gut bacteria, reducing carbohydrate metabolism ability and affecting systemic biomarkers related to immune response and metabolism.
- The research suggests that using macrolides over a long period can significantly influence host physiology through effects on gut microbiota, emphasizing the need to understand these mechanisms to assess risks associated with prolonged therapy.
Article Synopsis
- Long-term macrolide therapy, such as azithromycin and erythromycin, is commonly used to prevent exacerbations in chronic respiratory diseases, but its effects on the oral microbiome and transmission of resistance are not well understood.
- A study with healthy adults and their close contacts showed that while macrolide use increased resistance in their oropharyngeal streptococci, the overall microbiota composition remained largely unchanged.
- No evidence was found for the transmission of macrolide resistance to close contacts, as their resistance gene levels did not show corresponding changes.
Background: The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) pathogens represents a profound threat to global health. Individuals with CF have amongst the highest cumulative antibiotic exposure of any patient group, including to critically-important last-line agents. While there is little evidence that antibiotic resistance in airway pathogens results in worse clinical outcomes for CF patients, the potential emergence of MDR pathogens in non-respiratory systems, as a consequence of CF care, represents a potential health threat to the wider population, including family and carers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), weaning is associated with environmentally acquired and inflammation-associated enteric disorders. Dietary intake of high amylose maize starch (HAMS) can promote commensal fermentative bacteria and drive the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). By stabilizing commensal gut microbiology, and stimulating the production of anti-inflammatory metabolites, HAMS supplementation might therefore influence enteric health.
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