Linear growth faltering in infants is associated with Acidaminococcus sp. and community-level changes in the gut microbiota

Abstract

BackgroundChronic malnutrition, termed stunting, is defined as suboptimal linear growth, affects one third of children in developing countries, and leads to increased mortality and poor developmental outcomes. The causes of childhood stunting are unknown, and strategies to improve growth and related outcomes in children have only had modest impacts. Recent studies have shown that the ecosystem of microbes in the human gut, termed the microbiota, can induce changes in weight. However, the specific changes in the gut microbiota that contribute to growth remain unknown, and no studies have investigated the gut microbiota as a determinant of chronic malnutrition.ResultsWe performed secondary analyses of data from two well-characterized twin cohorts of children from Malawi and Bangladesh to identify bacterial genera associated with linear growth. In a case-control analysis, we used the graphical lasso to estimate covariance network models of gut microbial interactions from relative genus abundances and used network analysis methods to select genera associated with stunting severity. In longitudinal analyses, we determined associations between these selected microbes and linear growth using between-within twin regression models to adjust for confounding and introduce temporality. Reduced microbiota diversity and increased covariance network density were associated with stunting severity, while increased relative abundance of Acidaminococcus sp. was associated with future linear growth deficits.ConclusionsWe show that length growth in children is associated with community-wide changes in the gut microbiota and with the abundance of the bacterial genus, Acidaminococcus. Larger cohorts are needed to confirm these findings and to clarify the mechanisms involved.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40168-015-0089-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Micronutrient Adequacy and Dietary Diversity Exert Positive and Distinct Effects on Linear Growth in Urban Zambian Infants

“…Reductions in gut microbial diversity were associated with the severity of growth faltering in 345 two infant cohorts from Malawi and Bangladesh, while the increased relative abundance of a 346 single bacterial genus was associated longitudinally with impaired linear growth (55,56). We 347 could not investigate here whether the effect of dietary diversity on growth is mediated by the 348 gut microbiota, thus the exploration of the inter-relationships among infants' diet, the gut 349 microbiome and growth in several ongoing trials in Malawi (57) and Zimbabwe (44) is 350 timely.…”

Keadaan Mikrobiota Saluran Cerna pada Anak Sekolah Dasar yang Mengalami Stunting di Lombok Barat

“…Diare berkaitan dengan kondisi bakteri patogen yang tinggi di dalam saluran cerna. Komposisi mikrobiota saluran cerna pada saat diare berubah menjadi lebih tinggi komposisi bakteri patogennya dibandingkan probiotik di dalam saluran cerna (Dinh et al 2016;Gough et al 2015) Diketahui bahwa setiap individu memiliki komposisi mikrobiota saluran cerna yang berbeda-beda. Faktor usia dan daerah tempat tinggal juga dapat menentukan komposisi mikrobiota saluran cerna ini.…”

“…Pertumbuhan berlebih bakteri pada usus halus berhubungan dengan sanitasi yang buruk dan stunting (Gough et al 2015;Owino et al 2016). Hubungan tersebut dapat dijelaskan karena adanya mekanisme diare.…”

“…Keadaan ini menyebabkan inflamasi pada saluran cerna, ketidakseimbangan populasi mikrobiota dalam saluran cerna dan malabsorbsi zat gizi. Kondisi tersebut akan menyebabkan pertumbuhan linear terganggu (Gough et al 2015;Owino et al 2016). Keterbatasan penelitian ini adalah tidak adanya data kejadian diare pada subjek.…”

Biomarkers to Stratify Risk Groups among Children with Malnutrition in Resource-Limited Settings and to Monitor Response to Intervention

“…Malnourished children appear to demonstrate abnormal microbiome development, characterized by less microbial diversity, distinguished by fewer bacterial taxa and lower relative abundance as compared to normally nourished children of the same age [43, 44]. In addition, the overgrowth of specific bacterial taxa, such as Acidaminococcus species, is associated with poor linear growth [45]. Colonization of mice with the gut microbiota from malnourished children has been shown to effectively transfer a malnourished phenotype, with resulting impairments in ponderal growth and altered bone morphology [46].…”