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Characteristics of Faecal Microbiota in Paediatric Crohn's Disease and Their Dynamic Changes During Infliximab
Yizhong Wang1, Xuefeng Gao2, Amine Ghozlane3
1Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Infliximab treatment improved gut microbial diversity and function in pediatric Crohn's disease patients, though certain beneficial bacteria remained low. This suggests Infliximab partially restores gut microbiota balance in pediatric CD.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Gastroenterology
- Pediatric medicine
Background:
- Crohn's disease (CD) is linked to gut microbial dysbiosis.
- Infliximab (IFX) is a common treatment for pediatric CD, but its effects on the gut microbiota are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the fecal microbiota composition in pediatric CD patients.
- To assess dynamic changes in the gut microbiota during IFX therapy.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze fecal microbial communities.
- Microbial composition and function were compared between CD patients and healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Pediatric CD patients showed lower gut microbial biodiversity and reduced SCFA-producing bacteria before IFX treatment.
- IFX therapy increased gut microbial biodiversity and shifted composition towards a healthier state.
- However, IFX did not significantly increase all SCFA-producing taxa, though their abundance correlated with sustained treatment response.
Conclusions:
- Chinese pediatric CD patients exhibit gut microbial dysbiosis characterized by lower biodiversity and altered composition/function.
- IFX effectively reduced CD-associated gut dysbiosis but had limitations in restoring specific SCFA-producing bacteria.
Background:
Crohn's disease [CD] is known to be associated with gut microbial dysbiosis. Infliximab [IFX] is increasingly used to treat paediatric CD; however, it is not clear how the gut microbiota is modified during IFX treatment. The aim of this study was to characterise the faecal microbiota community composition in paediatric CD patients and to assess its dynamic changes during IFX therapy.
Methods:
A 16S rRNA sequencing approach was applied to determine the compositions of microbial communities in faecal samples. The composition and function of the faecal microbiota were compared between CD patients and healthy controls.
Results:
Characteristics of faecal microbiome composition in paediatric CD patients before IFX treatment were represented by a lower biodiversity, a gain in Enterococcus, and a significant loss in multiple short-chain fatty acid [SCFA]-producing bacteria, including Anaerostipes, Blautia, Coprococcus, Faecalibacterium, Lachnospira, Odoribacter, Roseburia, Ruminococcus, and Sutterella. Additionally, alterations were observed in metabolic functions of the gut microbial community in CD. IFX treatment increased the biodiversity of gut microbiota and shifted its composition as well as its functional capabilities in the paediatric CD patients toward a healthy status. However, multiple SCFA-producing taxa were not significantly expanded. The sustained response of paediatric CD patients to IFX was associated with abundance of SCFA-producing bacteria.
Conclusions:
A lower biodiversity with alterations in the composition and function of faecal microbial community, characterising gut microbial dysbiosis, was observed in Chinese paediatric CD patients. IFX diminished the CD-associated gut microbial dysbiosis but was deficient in increasing certain SCFA-producing taxa.
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