Researchers find connection between household chemicals and gut microbiome

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/wsu-rfc111020.php

 

News Release 12-Nov-2020
Washington State University

 

A team of researchers for the first time has found a correlation between the levels of bacteria and fungi in the gastrointestinal tract of children and the amount of common chemicals found in their home environment.


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When the researchers looked at the levels of fungi and bacteria in the gut, they found that children who had higher levels of the chemicals in their bloodstream showed differences in their gut microbiome.

Children with higher levels of PFASs in their blood had a reduction in the amount and diversity of bacteria, while increased levels of phthalates were associated with a reduction in fungi populations.

The correlation between the chemicals and less abundant bacterial organisms was especially pronounced and potentially most concerning, Gardner said.

"These microbes are perhaps not the main drivers and may have more subtle roles in our biology, but it might be the case that one of these microbes does have a unique function and decreasing its levels may have significant health impacts," she said.

The researchers also found, surprisingly, that the children who had high levels of chemical compounds in their blood also had in their gut several types of bacteria that have been used to clean up toxic chemicals. Dehalogenating bacteria have been used for bioremediation to degrade persistent halogenated chemicals like dry cleaning solvents from the environment. These bacteria are not typically found in the human gut.

"Finding the increased levels of these type of bacteria in the gut means that, potentially, the gut microbiome is trying to correct itself," Gardner said.

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