Alterations in children’s sub-dominant gut microbiota by HIV infection and anti-retroviral therapy

Abstract

Objective We investigated the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) on the gut microbiota of children. Design This cross-sectional study investigated the gut microbiota of children with and without HIV. Methods We collected fecal samples from 59 children with HIV (29 treated with ART [ART(+)] and 30 without ART [HIV(+)]) and 20 children without HIV [HIV(–)] in Vietnam. We performed quantitative RT-PCR to detect 14 representative intestinal bacteria targeting 16S/23S rRNA molecules. We also collected the blood samples for immunological analyses. Results In spearman’s correlation analyses, no significant correlation between the number of dominant bacteria and age was found among children in the HIV(−) group. However, the number of sub-dominant bacteria, including Streptococcus, Enterococcus, and Enterobacteriaceae, positively correlated with age in the HIV(−) group, but not in the HIV(+) group. In the HIV(+) group, Clostridium coccoides group positively associated with the CD4+ cell count and its subsets. In the ART(+) group, Staphylococcus and C. perfringens positively correlated with CD4+ cells and their subsets and negatively with activated CD8+ cells. C. coccoides group and Bacteroides fragilis group were associated with regulatory T-cell counts. In multiple linear regression analyses, ART duration was independently associated with the number of C. perfringens, and Th17 cell count with the number of Staphylococcus in the ART(+) group. Conclusions HIV infection and ART may influence sub-dominant gut bacteria, directly or indirectly, in association with immune status in children with HIV.

Gut-dependent inflammation and alterations of the intestinal microbiota in individuals with perinatal HIV exposure and different HIV serostatus

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Associations of HIV and iron status with gut microbiota composition, gut inflammation and gut integrity in South African school‐age children: a two‐way factorial case–control study

“…[14][15][16] Studies suggest that ART alters gut microbiota composition to a bacterial community structure distinct from HIV−, as well as ART-naive HIV+ reference groups. 16,17 In HIV+ populations, gut microbiota composition appears to shift towards higher proportions of proinflammatory and lower proportions of antiinflammatory bacterial species. 16,18,19 This state of dysbiosis promotes pathogenic and inflammatory pathways.…”

Alterations of the upper respiratory microbiome among children living with HIV infection in Botswana

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