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Updated: Jun 20, 2025
Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Assessment of salivary microbiota profile as a potential diagnostic tool for pediatric celiac disease
Asal Noruzpour1, Fahimeh Sadat Gholam-Mostafaei2, Mehdi Azizmohammad Looha3
1Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medial Science, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Oral dysbiosis is linked to celiac disease (CD). Salivary microbiome analysis in children with CD revealed distinct bacterial changes, suggesting potential for noninvasive diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
- Immunology
Background:
- The relationship between oral microbial imbalances (dysbiosis) and celiac disease (CD) is not well-defined.
- Understanding CD-associated oral dysbiosis may offer insights into disease development and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in the salivary microbial composition of children diagnosed with celiac disease.
- To compare salivary microbiota profiles between children with active CD, those on a gluten-free diet (GFD), and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving saliva sample collection from three groups: active CD (A-CD), CD on GFD, and healthy controls (HC).
- 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was employed to analyze the bacterial composition of the saliva samples.
Main Results:
- Both A-CD and GFD groups exhibited a significant increase in the Bacteroidetes phylum and a significant decrease in the Actinobacteria phylum compared to HC.
- The Rothia genus and R.aeria species were significantly decreased in both CD groups relative to healthy controls.
- R.mucilaginosa species were significantly increased in the HC group compared to both CD patient groups.
Conclusions:
- Distinct salivary bacterial strains are abundant in children with celiac disease, indicating a unique salivary microbiome composition.
- Salivary microbiota profiling may serve as a basis for developing noninvasive diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for celiac disease.
Abstract:
The association between oral dysbiosis and celiac disease (CD) remains poorly understood, as does the impact of CD-associated dysbiosis on disease development or exacerbation. This study aims to investigate alterations in salivary microbial composition among children with CD. In this cross-sectional study, saliva samples from 12 children with active CD (A-CD group), 14 children with CD on a gluten-free diet (GFD), and 10 healthy control (HC) children were analyzed using DNA sequencing targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA. Both patients in A-CD and GFD groups showed a significant increase (p = 0.0001) in the Bacteroidetes phylum, while the Actinobacteria phylum showed a significant decrease (p = 0.0001). Notably, the Rothia genus and R.aeria also demonstrated a significant decrease (p = 0.0001) within the both CD groups as compare to HC. Additionally, the control group displayed a significant increase (p = 0.006) in R.mucilaginosa species compared to both CD patient groups. Distinct bacterial strains were abundant in the saliva of patients with active CD, indicating a unique composition of the salivary microbiome in individuals with CD. These findings suggest that our approach to assessing salivary microbiota changes may contribute to developing noninvasive methods for diagnosing and treating CD.
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