A study explores the relationship between the gut microbiome and growth stunting. Growth stunting affects approximately 25% of all children under 5 years of age. Effective interventions to prevent or treat stunting are lacking, due to a poor understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved. Philippe Sansonetti and colleagues examined the microbial compositions of duodenal fluid samples from 46 stunted children and 404 fecal samples from stunted and nonstunted children, ages 2-5, from Madagascar and the Central African Republic, two countries with a high prevalence of stunting. Forty-two out of 46 duodenal fluid samples exhibited small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth, indicating a greater population of bacteria in the small intestine than usual. This bacterial overgrowth was unexpectedly dominated by bacterial genera normally found in the oropharyngeal cavity and was similar between the two countries. Oropharyngeal taxa were also observed in greater abundance in fecal samples of stunted children compared with nonstunted children, providing a potential diagnostic signature of the condition. The results suggest a decompartmentalization of the gastrointestinal tract in stunted children, whereby microbial taxa from the oral cavity can colonize the stomach and duodenum, according to the authors.
Article #18-06573: "Stunted childhood growth is associated with decompartmentalization of the gastrointestinal tract and overgrowth of oropharyngeal taxa," by Pascale Vonaesch et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Philippe J. Sansonetti, Institut Pasteur, Paris, FRANCE; tel: +33-1-45-68-83-42; e-mail: philippe.sansonetti@pasteur.fr
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences