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Age-dependent fecal bacterial correlation to inflammatory bowel disease for newly diagnosed untreated children
Felix Chinweije Nwosu1, Lill-Therse Thorkildsen, Ekaterina Avershina
1Hedmark University College, Hamar, Norway ; Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University for Life Sciences, Ås, Oslo, Norway.
Insights
This study reveals age-dependent fecal microbiota patterns in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Specific bacterial correlations with age differ between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), suggesting age-specific immune responses.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Pediatric gastroenterology
- Immunology
Background:
- Limited understanding of fecal microbiota in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
- IBD comprises Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), with distinct pathologies.
- Investigating age-related microbial shifts is crucial for understanding pediatric IBD development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between fecal microbiota and age in children with newly diagnosed CD and UC.
- To identify specific bacterial taxa associated with age in pediatric IBD subtypes.
- To propose a model for IBD etiology based on age-dependent immune-microbiota interactions in children.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of fecal specimens from children (<18 years) with CD (n=27), UC (n=16), and non-IBD controls (n=30).
- Utilized bacterial small subunit (SSU) rRNA sequencing to characterize the fecal microbiota.
- Statistical analysis to determine correlations between bacterial abundance, age, and IBD status.
Main Results:
- Significant age-dependent correlations were observed between fecal microbiota and IBD in children.
- For CD, E. coli showed a positive correlation with age, while Bacteroidetes showed a negative correlation.
- UC exhibited opposite age-related correlations for Bacteroides and Escherichia, with an overrepresentation of Haemophilus.
Conclusions:
- The etiology of pediatric IBD may involve age-dependent immunological responses to specific bacterial stimuli.
- Findings suggest a need for age stratification in understanding and treating pediatric IBD.
- This research provides novel insights into the interplay between the microbiome, immune system, and age in pediatric IBD.
Abstract:
The knowledge about correlation patterns between the fecal microbiota and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)-comprising the two subforms Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC)-for newly diagnosed untreated children is limited. To address this knowledge gap, a selection of faecal specimens (CD, n = 27 and UC, n = 16) and non-IBD controls (n = 30) children (age < 18 years) was analysed utilising bacterial small subunit (SSU) rRNA. We found, surprising age dependence for the fecal microbiota correlating to IBD. The most pronounced patterns were that E. coli was positively (R (2) = 0.16, P = 0.05) and Bacteroidetes, negatively (R (2) = 0.15, P = 0.05) correlated to age for CD patients. For UC, we found an apparent opposite age-related disease correlation for both Bacteroides and Escherichia. In addition, there was an overrepresentation of Haemophilus for the UC children. From our, results we propose a model where the aetiology of IBD is related to an on-going immunological development in children requiring different age-dependent bacterial stimuli. The impact of our findings could be a better age stratification for understanding and treating IBD in children.
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