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Microbiome and Growth in Infants with Congenital Heart Disease
Michael P Fundora1, Christina J Calamaro2, Yuhua Wu3
1Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Cardiology, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
Insights
Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) have different gut microbiomes (GM) than healthy infants, impacting growth. Specific bacteria are linked to lower weight and smaller head circumference in these children.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects infant development.
- The gut microbiome (GM) plays a crucial role in host health and development.
- Understanding GM alterations in infants with CHD is essential for improving outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the gut microbiome (GM) in infants with CHD undergoing cardiac surgery.
- To compare the GM of infants with CHD to that of healthy, matched controls.
- To investigate the association between GM composition and infant growth parameters (weight, length, head circumference).
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 34 infants with CHD and 34 controls.
- Fecal samples were collected at multiple time points: pre-surgery, post-surgery, and before discharge for cases, and once for controls.
- 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was used to analyze GM taxonomy.
Main Results:
- Infants with CHD exhibited higher GM alpha-diversity and significant beta-diversity dissimilarities compared to controls.
- GM composition was associated with reduced weight and head circumference (z-score < 2) in infants with CHD.
- Specific bacterial genera (e.g., Acinetobacter, Escherichia-Shigella) were linked to lower weight, while others (e.g., Veillonella) were associated with head circumference.
Conclusions:
- Significant differences in GM diversity and abundance exist between infants with CHD and controls.
- Distinct GM patterns correlate with impaired growth (lower weight, smaller head circumference) in infants with CHD.
- Further research is warranted to explore the long-term impact of microbial dysbiosis on growth in pediatric CHD patients.
Objective:
To profile the gut microbiome (GM) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) undergoing cardiac surgery compared with matched infants and to investigate the association with growth (weight, length, and head circumference).
Study Design:
A prospective study in the cardiac intensive care unit at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and newborn nursery within the Emory Healthcare system. Characteristics including weight, length, head circumference, and surgical variables were collected. Fecal samples were collected presurgery (T1), postsurgery (T2), and before discharge (T3), and once for controls. 16 small ribosomal RNA subunit V4 gene was sequenced from fecal samples and classified into taxonomy using Silva v138.
Results:
There were 34 children with CHD (cases) and 34 controls. Cases had higher alpha-diversity, and beta-diversity showed significant dissimilarities compared with controls. GM was associated with lower weight and smaller head circumference (z-score < 2). Lower weight was associated with less Acinetobacter, Clostridioides, Parabacteroides, and Escherichia-Shigella. Smaller head circumference with more Veillonella, less Acinetobacter, and less Parabacteroides.
Conclusions:
Significant differences in GM diversity and abundance were observed between infants with CHD and control infants. Lower weight and smaller head circumference were associated with distinct GM patterns. Further study is needed to understand the longitudinal effect of microbial dysbiosis on growth in children with CHD.
