Gut microbiome associations with poliovirus vaccine seroconversion in children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

BackgroundDespite efforts to increase global immunization, vaccination seroconversion in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is often lower than in high income countries (HICs). The reasons for this disparity are not fully understood. Given the role of the gut microbiome in immune development, we investigated the relationship between the gut microbiome and polio vaccine seroconversion in children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis included children ages 6-24 months old (n=90) enrolled in the DRC. Vaccine history was obtained from health records and/or self-report and poliovirus serostatus surveyed using dried blood spots. Nutritional status was evaluated using anthropomorphic measures. Microbiome profiling (16S rRNA gene) was performed and associations with poliovirus serostatus and malnutrition were examined. ResultsThe average age of the study population was 13.6 months (SD=5.6) with 58% female. Poliovirus seropositivity was 65.5% and 22% of the children were malnourished. We found that presence of Campylobacter and Veillonella, especially at an early age, was associated with low poliovirus vaccination seroconversion. These bacterial taxa differed from those associated with malnutrition. ConclusionsThe presence of enteropathogens such as Campylobacter at a young age could be an important factor contributing to low vaccination seroconversion in children in LMICs.