The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework recognizes that early-life exposures critically shape lifelong health. In this context, the gut and skin microbiota are increasingly identified as key modulators of immune, metabolic, and neurodevelopmental programming in children. Environmental pollutants, including air pollution, microplastics and endocrine disruptors, have been shown to alter microbiome composition during sensitive windows of development, potentially leading to increased risks for allergies, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

This Research Topic aims to gather cutting-edge studies that investigate how environmental exposures, especially ambient and indoor air pollution, interact with the gut and skin microbiota to influence child health outcomes. We welcome original research, systematic reviews, cohort studies, and mechanistic work that:

· Characterize the effects of prenatal and early postnatal exposure to air pollutants on the gut and skin microbiome in children.

· Examine the microbiome as a mediator between environmental exposures and later-life health outcomes.

· Identify microbiome signatures or biomarkers of environmental stress during early development.

· Explore protective interventions (e.g., nutritional strategies, microbiota-targeted therapies) to mitigate pollutant-induced microbiome disruption.

· Integrate microbiome findings with exposome-wide approaches, including multi-omics (metabolomics, epigenomics) and advanced environmental exposure assessments.

Multidisciplinary submissions bridging clinical, epidemiological, and mechanistic science are particularly encouraged, especially studies addressing vulnerable populations and health disparities

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Environmental Exposures and Microbiome Disruptions in Early Life Health Trajectories