Characterizing the composition of intestinal microflora as a prospective treatment target in infant allergic disease.

We assessed the fecal microflora of 10 healthy infants and 27 infants with atopic eczema during breast-feeding and after weaning. The atopic infants had less frequently Gram-positive species among the most predominant aerobes and smaller total cell counts. Further differences were associated with more extensive manifestations, seen as higher bacteroides and lower bifidobacteria counts. Weaning resulted in decreased bacteroides counts in atopic and total cell counts in healthy infants and diminished predominance by bifidobacteria in both. In conclusion, the most prominent question raised by these data is whether Gram-positive bacteria may have distinctive importance in protection against atopic sensitization. Further studies aiming to answer this question are warranted.