Environmental exposures and child and maternal gut microbiota in rural Malawi.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gut microbiota composition is associated with child health, but the effect of the environment on microbiota composition is not well understood. Few studies have been conducted in low-income settings where childhood malnutrition is common and possibly related to microbiota composition.

Objectives

To investigate whether gut microbiota composition in young children and their mothers is associated with different environmental exposures in rural Malawi. We hypothesized that more adverse environmental exposures would be associated with lower levels of microbiota maturity and diversity.

Methods

Faecal samples from up to 631 children and mothers participating in a nutrition intervention trial were collected at 1, 6, 12, 18, and 30 months (children) and at 1 month (

SUBMITTER: Kortekangas E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7154550 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature