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Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with an altered gastric microbiota in children
K M Brawner1, R Kumar2, C A Serrano3
1Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Insights
Early life stomach bacteria impact immune development. Helicobacter pylori infection alters children's gastric microbiota, promoting immune tolerance and potentially reducing disease.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Pediatric immunology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- The early-life intestinal microbiome influences immune system development and disease susceptibility.
- The gastric microbiome and its role in disease, particularly in children, are less understood.
- Helicobacter pylori infection is a common pediatric condition with significant health implications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the gastric microbiota composition in children and adults.
- To investigate the impact of Helicobacter pylori infection on the gastric microbiota in different age groups.
- To explore the relationship between gastric microbiota alterations and immune responses in H. pylori-infected children.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of gastric microbiota composition in 86 children and adults using [specific sequencing methods - not provided in abstract].
- Comparison of microbiota profiles between H. pylori-infected and non-infected individuals across age groups.
- Assessment of immune markers (FOXP3, IL10, TGFβ) in relation to gastric microbiota structure.
Main Results:
- Gastric microbiota in children and adults without H. pylori infection showed similar compositions.
- H. pylori infection significantly altered the gastric microbiota in children, but not adults, affecting high-abundance taxa.
- H. pylori-infected children exhibited increased microbiota diversity, reduced Firmicutes, and increased non-Helicobacter Proteobacteria compared to infected adults.
- Children with altered gastric microbiota showed elevated immune markers (FOXP3, IL10, TGFβ), indicating enhanced T-regulatory cell responses.
Conclusions:
- H. pylori infection restructures the gastric commensal bacteria in children.
- Altered gastric microbiota in infected children is associated with a more tolerogenic gastric mucosa.
- These changes may contribute to the reduced incidence of gastric disease observed in H. pylori-infected children.
Abstract:
The intestinal microbiome in early life influences development of the mucosal immune system and predisposition to certain diseases. Because less is known about the microbiome in the stomach and its relationship to disease, we characterized the microbiota in the stomachs of 86 children and adults and the impact of Helicobacter pylori infection on the bacterial communities. The overall composition of the gastric microbiota in children and adults without H. pylori infection was similar, with minor differences in only low abundance taxa. However, the gastric microbiota in H. pylori-infected children, but not infected adults, differed significantly in the proportions of multiple high abundance taxa compared with their non-infected peers. The stomachs of H. pylori-infected children also harbored more diverse microbiota, smaller abundance of Firmicutes, and larger abundance of non-Helicobacter Proteobacteria and several lower taxonomic groups than stomachs of H. pylori-infected adults. Children with restructured gastric microbiota had higher levels of FOXP3, IL10, and TGFβ expression, consistent with increased T-regulatory cell responses, compared with non-infected children and H. pylori-infected adults. The gastric commensal bacteria in children are altered during H. pylori infection in parallel with more tolerogenic gastric mucosae, potentially contributing to the reduced gastric disease characteristic of H. pylori-infected children.
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