研究发现，第三次烟影响婴儿的肠道细菌

Infants exposed to thirdhand smoke while hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) show a difference in the composition of their gut microbiome, according to a new study by researchers with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

这项研究是publishedinEnvironmental Research.

Thirdhand smoke refers to particles and residue (e.g., nicotine) resulting from tobacco smoke that lingers on surfaces and in-house dust. The residue can be found on the hands, clothes, furniture, walls, dust, carpets, and other surfaces long after smoking has stopped. Even if an adult has gone outside the home or building to smoke, children can still be exposed.

“我们知道，吸烟的成年人与非吸烟成年人相比具有肠道微生物组的差异。”Thomas Northrup, PhD，Uthealth McGovern医学院的家庭和社区医学副教授，以及该研究的主要作者。“但是，我们尚不知道第三次烟雾暴露对住院婴儿的肠道微生物组的长期健康后果。”

Researchers took stool and urine samples from 43 infants who were admitted to the NICU shortly after birth. Of the 43 infants, 11 were from nonsmoking households, and 32 were from a household where at least one person smoked tobacco.

The infants were studied before being discharged from the NICU and were never exposed to secondhand smoke.

beplay苹果手机能用吗研究人员发现，与吸烟家庭相比，NICU家具中不吸烟的房屋和/或较低暴露于NICU家具的尼古丁残留物的婴儿具有更高的肠道微生物组多样性。这建立在较早的study, led by Northrup, that measured nicotine residue from furniture in the waiting areas and rooms in the NICU. The results showed that 94% of the surfaces touched by non-staff visitors who smoked had nicotine residue.

“Many times, people visiting the hospital leave to go smoke or vape outside, and when they come inside, that residue will linger on them and their clothing and transfer to the furniture of the waiting rooms and hospital rooms,” Northrup said.

The gut microbiome is made up of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that are important for overall health. A healthy gut microbiome helps with vitamin and nutrient absorption, and in some cases immunity to certain diseases.

Previous studies suggested exposure to thirdhand smoke can impair wound healing, hinder respiratory development, and lead to metabolic changes in the body.

“If you begin to alter the microbial community, you may impact specific microbes or bacteria that serve important health-promoting functions. If the gut microbiome is affected in some way, where it is less able to protect our health, it’s easy to understand how that could become problematic for an infant’s overall health and development,” Northrup said.

Researchers are unaware of whether thirdhand smoke exposure during infancy will cause a long-term health change. However, Northrup says current research is exploring the use of probiotics in infancy to see if the gut microbiome can be brought back into balance.

“One of the most important things parents can do is to completely eliminate the use of tobacco in the household. If you can get everyone in the household to stop smoking, you can better protect the infant’s overall health,” he said.

Additional authors from McGovern Medical School include Angela Stotts, PhD, professor of family and community medicine; Michelle Klawans, PhD, research associate of family medicine; Robert Suchting, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences; Amir Khan, MD, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology; Charles Green, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics; and Mary Johnson, MD, pediatric fellow. Additional authors include Georg Matt, PhD, with San Diego State University; Penelope J. E. Quintana, PhD, with San Diego State University; Eunha Hoh, PhD, with San Diego State University; Melbourne F. Hovell, PhD, MPH, with San Diego State University; Neal Benowitz, MD, with the University of California, San Francisco; Peyton Jacob, PhD, with the University of California, San Francisco; and Christopher J. Stewart, PhD, with Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.

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