Stunted childhood growth is associated with decompartmentalization of the gastrointestinal tract and overgrowth of oropharyngeal taxa.

ABSTRACT: Linear growth delay (stunting) affects roughly 155 million children under the age of 5 years worldwide. Treatment has been limited by a lack of understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Stunting is most likely associated with changes in the microbial community of the small intestine, a compartment vital for digestion and nutrient absorption. Efforts to better understand the pathophysiology have been hampered by difficulty of access to small intestinal fluids. Here, we describe the microbial community found in the upper gastrointestinal tract of stunted children aged 2-5 y living in sub-Saharan Africa. We studied 46 duodenal and 57 gastric samples from stunted children, as well as 404 fecal samples from stunted and nonstunted children living in Bangui, Central African R

SUBMITTER: Vonaesch P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6130352 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature