Characterization of gut microbiota in children with pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

BackgroundGut microbiota plays a critical role in many important physiological processes and is linked with various pulmonary infectious diseases. The relationship between pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and gut microbiota has been poorly studied. The present study aimed to characterize gut microbiota in pediatric patients with PTB.MethodsA case-controlled study was executed for the characterization of gut microbiota in pediatric PTB patients. Fecal samples were collected from the PTB patients and healthy controls upon admission. In addition, a one-month follow-up assessment was performed to investigate alterations in the gut microbiota post anti-tuberculosis treatment. 16SrDNA sequencing analysis of fecal DNA was completed on the Illumina MiSeq platform.ResultsCompared with healthy controls, the gut microbiota of pediatric patients with PTB was characterized by decreased microbial diversity. PTB patients further presented an up-regulation of the pro-inflammatory bacteria Prevotella, the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus, as well as a reduction of beneficial bacteria including Ruminococcaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae and prausnitzii. One-month after anti-tuberculosis therapy, the richness of gut microbiota in PTB patients was distinctly depleted.ConclusionsThe gut microbiota of pediatric patients with PTB was significantly distinct from healthy controls. Additionally, the richness of gut microbiota in PTB patients decreased after one-month anti-tuberculosis treatment. It is hypothesized that the homeostasis of gut microbiota in PTB patients may affect the pathogenies of PTB by de-regulation of the hosts’ immune status through the gut-lung axis.

Culturomics Discloses Anti-Tubercular Enterococci Exclusive of Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Preliminary Report

“…However, contradictory data from these studies complicated the interpretation of these differences. Decreases in the number of bacterial species and bacterial diversity reported in TB-positive patients [ 29 ] including children [ 30 ], contrasted with the reported increased diversity in TB-patients in another study [ 12 ]. In children, microbial richness was not found to significantly differ between TB-positive children and controls, although the Simpson index was found to be significantly lower in TB-positive children [ 30 ] with five different bacterial species found to be significantly balanced between the two groups [ 30 ].…”

“…Complementary, indirect interactions may be mediated by inflammation and immune cells in the exact model of what is now established in immune cancerology [ 39 ]. As an example, gut Prevotella , the prevalence of which was increased in TB-positive children and adults [ 12 , 30 ], were shown to correlate with blood CD4-positive lymphocytes and have been suggested to boost the inflammatory response to TB [ 12 ]. Likewise, Clostridium members that were found to be more abundant in TB-positive patients, induce Treg production in mice guts and an increased number of Venus+CD4+ cells in the liver and lungs [ 40 ].…”

Microbiome-immune interactions in tuberculosis

“…tuberculosis infection compared to noninfected “controls”. In general terms, the fecal microbiota profiles of treatment-naïve, new-onset, and recurrent TB patients consistently show a decrease in bacterial diversity compared to control individuals [ 45 , 46 ]. Phylogenetic integration of the data available through these studies reveals changes to the relative abundances of the bacterial lineages affiliated with the families of Ruminococcaceae and/or Lachnospiraceae ( Fig 1A ).…”

Precision Medicine and Public Health: New Challenges for Effective and Sustainable Health

“…From such a point of view, the gut microbiota is a selective agent shaping the adaptive evolution of the human diet, phenotypic plasticity, gastrointestinal morphology, and immunity. Therefore, as can be expected, microbiota aberrations (dysbiosis), since childhood, have been associated with a range of communicable [108][109][110] and noncommunicable diseases, including obesity and metabolic syndrome [111], diabetes [112,113], inflammatory bowel disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [114], asthma, allergies [115], some types of cancer [116], and even certain neuropsychiatric disorders [117] (Table 1). Most of the significant taxa belonged to the Gram-negative bacteria producing LPS.…”