Gut Microbiota of Healthy and Malnourished Children in Bangladesh

Abstract

Poor health and malnutrition in preschool children are longstanding problems in Bangladesh. Gut microbiota plays a tremendous role in nutrient absorption and determining the state of health. In this study, metagenomic tool was employed to assess the gut microbiota composition of healthy and malnourished children. DNA was extracted from fecal samples of seven healthy and seven malnourished children (n = 14; age 2–3 years) were analyzed for the variable region of 16S rRNA genes by universal primer PCR followed by high-throughput 454 parallel sequencing to identify the bacterial phyla and genera. Our results reveal that the healthy children had a significantly higher number of operational taxonomic unit in their gut than that of the malnourished children (healthy vs. malnourished: 546 vs. 310). In malnourished children, bacterial population of the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 46 and 18%, respectively. Conversely, in healthy children, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes accounted for 5% and 44, respectively (p < 0.001). In malnourished children, the phylum Proteobacteria included pathogenic genera, namely Klebsiella and Escherichia, which were 174-fold and 9-fold higher, respectively, than their healthy counterpart. The predominance of potentially pathogenic Proteobacteria and minimal level of Bacteroidetes as commensal microbiota might be associated to the ill health of malnourished children in Bangladesh.

From Wasting to Obesity: The Contribution of Nutritional Status to Immune Activation in HIV Infection

“…A link between kwashiorkor and a predominance of Staphylococcus aureus and coliform bacteria in gastric juice and rectal swab specimens was identified as early as 1958 [48]. Later studies of malnourished children and well-nourished controls in Bangladesh found that poor nutritional status was associated with enrichment of Proteobacteria, including a 174-fold and 9-fold increase in Klebsiella and Escherichia levels, respectively, and depletion of Bacteroidetes [49]. In Indian children, nutritional status was negatively correlated with the proportion of Proteobacteria (including Escherichia, Shigella, and Enterobacter) and positively correlated with the proportion of anaerobic Firmicutes (including Roseburia, Faecalibacterium, and Butyrivibrio) [50].…”

The intestinal microbiota, energy balance, and malnutrition: emphasis on the role of short-chain fatty acids

“…Comparing the microbiota of undernourished and well-nourished Bangladeshi children, undernourished microbiota was significantly less diverse. It contained less Bacteroidetes and significantly more potentially pathogenic Proteobacteria, including Klebsiella, Escherichia, and Neisseria [6]. Malnourished Bangladeshi children were also shown to have relatively immature microbial compositions [79].…”

“…These microorganisms have coevolved with the human race and have acquired traits that complement human metabolic capabilities, thereby actively influencing host energy balance [4]. Accordingly, multiple epidemiological studies have demonstrated microbial compositional patterns that are specific to both obesity and undernutrition [5,6]. In addition, studies using murine models have demonstrated a causal relation between the intestinal microbiota and weight regulation [7,8].…”

Iron Overload Effect on Serum Levels of Glucose, Insulin and HOMA-IR was Ifluenced by the Type of Fat in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats Fed High-Fat-Diets

“…Findings of recent reports demonstrated that iron supplementation has complex interactions between diet, the host immune system and the gut micro-biome [4]. The amount of supplemental iron absorbed in the human gastrointestinal tract is low, most of the dose passes into the colon where it becomes available for the pathogenic bacteria [5], which lead to alteration in the composition of the gut microbiota in malnourished children [6]. increased cell stress in enterocytes and adversely affects the gut micro-biome, increasing pathogen abundance and causing intestinal inflammation [4].…”