Habitual supplementation of fish oil is thought to provide benefits to the developing infant; however, the effects on infant microbial establishment and immune development are unknown. A 6-month observational cohort study was conducted where 47 out of 91 women self-administered dietary fish oil during breastfeeding. Infant stool and mothers’ breast milk were collected each month over 6 months. Gas chromatography was used to quantify breast milk fatty acids and high-throughput sequencing was used to assess the infant fecal microbiota. Immune markers and parent-reported questionnaires were used to assess infant immunity and health up to 2 years. Our results reveal that fish oil supplementation decreased secretory immunoglobulin A and increased IL-10 production in lactating women along with increased breast milk eicosapentaenoic acid, and this corresponded to increased abundances of fecal Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp. in their infants. Docosahexaenoic acid levels in breast milk aligned with decreases in infant gut bacterial richness and the predicted bacterial phenotypes suggested that fish oil lowers commensal traits involved in pathogen colonization resistance. Despite this, there were no differences in sickness incidence in toddlers. This study revealed that fish oil associates with decreases in breast milk defensive inflammatory responses and corresponds with infant fecal microbiota with anti-inflammatory potential.

Highlights Schistosomiasis can manifest as non-obstructive polypoid lesions due to deposition of schistosomal eggs. Obstructive lesions, such as fibrotic strictures, secondary to the infectious sequelae of schistosomiasis are rare. Although schistosomiasis can be diagnosed on imaging and laboratory tests, there is no conclusive method of ruling out a malignancy. Praziquantel is a safe and effective treatment for schistosomiasis, and prevents future sequela of the parasitic infection. Surgical resection provides definitive treatment resulting in symptom resolution while ruling out a neoplastic etiology.

There is a growing appreciation that the interaction between diet, the gut microbiota and the immune system contribute to the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A mounting body of scientific evidence suggests that high-fat diets exacerbate IBD; however, there is a lack of information on how specific types of fat impact colitis. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is considered a health-promoting diet containing approximately 40% total fat. It is not known if the blend of fats found in the MD contributes to its beneficial protective effects. Mice deficient in the mucin 2 gene (Muc 2 −/− ) were weaned to 40% fat, isocaloric, isonitrogenous diets. We compared the MD fat blend (high monounsaturated, 2:1 n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated and moderate saturated fat) to diets composed of corn oil (CO, n-6 polyunsaturated-rich), olive oil (monounsaturated-rich) or milk fat (MF, saturated-rich) on spontaneous colitis development in Muc2 −/− mice. The MD resulted in lower clinical and histopathological scores and induced tolerogenic CD103+ CD11b+ dendritic, Th22 and IL-17+ IL-22+ cells necessary for intestinal barrier repair. The MD was associated with beneficial microbes and associated with higher cecal acetic acid levels negatively correlated with colitogenic microbes like Akkermansia muciniphila . In contrast, CO showed a higher prevalence of mucin-degraders including A. muciniphila and Enterobacteriaceae, which have been associated with colitis. A dietary blend of fats mimicking the MD, reduces disease activity, inflammation-related biomarkers and improves metabolic parameters in the Muc2 −/− mouse model. Our findings suggest that the MD fat blend could be incorporated into a maintenance diet for colitis.