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Updated: Jul 30, 2025
Assessment of Intestinal Transcytosis of Neonatal Escherichia coli Bacteremia Isolates
Published on: February 17, 2023
A prospective study on linking diarrheagenic E. coli with stunted childhood growth in relation to gut microbiome
Israr Aziz1, Zobia Noreen1, Umer Zeeshan Ijaz2
1Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Insights
Pathogenic E. coli strains are linked to gut microbiota changes in children with stunted growth. This study explored E. coli pathotypes and their association with gut microbial diversity and energy metabolism in stunted children.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
- Gut Microbiome Research
Background:
- Stunted growth in children under 5 is a major global health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
- The underlying mechanisms and the role of gut microbiota in stunting pathogenesis remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between pathogenic E. coli strains and the gut microbiota composition in children experiencing stunted growth.
- To characterize diarrheagenic E. coli strains and explore their relationship with microbial community alterations.
Main Methods:
- Collected 64 stool samples from children aged ≤5 years for E. coli isolation and molecular characterization.
- Analyzed microbial community profiling in 39 samples (including controls) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
- Explored associations between E. coli pathotypes, gut microbiota profiles, and predictive metabolic pathways.
Main Results:
- Identified pathogenic E. coli in 39.68% of isolates, with Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) being the most prevalent (52%).
- Phylogroup B2 was dominant (28.12%). Microbial diversity varied significantly across phylogroups.
- E. coli colonization was associated with altered energy utilization pathways (Denovoprine-2, glyoxylate-by) and changes in Escherichia-Shigella and Enterococcus genera.
Conclusions:
- Pathogenic E. coli strains, particularly EPEC, are significantly associated with altered gut microbiota composition and function in stunted children.
- These findings highlight the potential role of specific E. coli pathotypes in the gut dysbiosis observed in stunting.
- Further research into targeted interventions addressing E. coli and gut microbiota could improve growth outcomes.
Abstract:
Stunted growth is an emerging global challenge affecting children under the age of 5 years in low- and middle-income countries. Despite such a high global prevalence of stunting, the mechanism of pathogenesis and the role of associated gut microbiota is poorly understood. The present study was designed to investigate the association of pathogenic strains of E. coli with the residential gut microbiota of stunted growth children. A total of 64 stool sample were collected from children aged ≤ 5 years, and were processed for isolation and molecular characterization of diarrheagenic E. coli. Selected stool samples (n = 39 including three normal controls) were then analysed for microbial community profiling using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Furthermore, associations between changes in the microbiota in the presence of different E. coli strains was explored. Pathotyping of the isolated E. coli (n = 64) has shown that 39.68% belonged to one of the five pathotypes of E. coli whilst the remaining ones were non-typeable. Amongst the different pathotypes, EPEC was found to be the most prevalent (52%; n = 13), followed by EAEC (20%; n = 5), EIEC (12%; n = 3), EHEC (8%; n = 2) and ETEC 2 (8%; n = 2). Phylogrouping analysis has shown that majority of the strains belonged to B2 (28.12%). Microbial diversity is shown to be significant and varied when the samples are organized under the recovered phylogroups. Moreover, based on predictive metabolism, the colonization of these strains were found to be significantly associated with energy utilization pathways such as Denovoprine-2 and glyoxylate-by. Differential analysis has shown that Escherichia-Shigella and Enterococcus were altered for the children with stunted growth.
