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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #385621
Research Project: Microbiota and Nutritional Health

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Fructan-sensitive children with irritable bowel syndrome have distinct gut microbiome signatures

Author
item CHUMPITAZI, BRUNO - Baylor College Of Medicine
item HOFFMAN, KRISTI - Baylor College Of Medicine
item SMITH, DANIEL - Baylor College Of Medicine
item MCMEANS, ANN - Baylor College Of Medicine
item MUSAAD, SALMA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item VERSALOVIC, JAMES - Baylor College Of Medicine
item PETROSINO, JOSEPH - Baylor College Of Medicine
item SHULMAN, ROBERT - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/19/2020
Publication Date: 2/5/2021
Citation: Chumpitazi, B.P., Hoffman, K.L., Smith, D.P., McMeans, A.R., Musaad, S., Versalovic, J., Petrosino, J.F., Shulman, R.J. 2021. Fructan-sensitive children with irritable bowel syndrome have distinct gut microbiome signatures. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 53:499-509.

Interpretive Summary: Children with irritable bowel syndrome often complain of pain with eating. In this study we found that the types of bacteria in the intestines differed between those children who had belly pain with eating compared with those children without belly pain with eating. The results of this study suggest that by analyzing the bacteria in the intestines we can predict which children should avoid certain types of sugars in their diet and thereby avoid having belly pain. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential mechanistic impact of these research findings.

Technical Abstract: Dietary fructans may worsen gastrointestinal symptoms in children with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). To determine whether gut microbiome composition and function are associated with childhood IBS fructan-induced symptoms.Faecal samples were collected from 38 children aged 7-17 years with paediatric Rome III IBS, who previously completied a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover (fructan vs maltodextrin) trial. Fructan sensitivity was defined as an increase of >=30% in abdominal pain frequency during the fructan diet. Gut microbial composition was determined via 16Sv4 rDNA sequencing. LEfSe evaluated taxonomic composition differences. Tax4Fun2 predicted microbial fructan metabolic pathways. At baseline, 17 fructan-sensitive (vs 21 fructan-tolerant) subjects had lower alpha diversity (q < 0.05) and were enriched in the genus Holdermania. In contrast, fructan-tolerant subjects were enriched in 14 genera from the class Clostridia. During the fructan diet, fructan-sensitive (vs tolerant) subjects were enriched in both Agathobacter (P = 0.02) and Cyanobacteria (P = 0.0001). In contrast, fructan-tolerant subjects were enriched in three genera from the Clostridia class. Comparing the fructan vs maltodextrin diet, fructan-sensitive subjects had a significantly increased relative abundance of Bifidobacterium (P = 0.02) while fructan-tolerant subjects had increased Anaerostipes (P = 0.03) during the fructan diet. Only fructan-sensitive subjects had a trend towards increased predicted B-fructofuranosidase during the fructan vs maltodextrin diet. Fructan-sensitive children with IBS have distinct gut microbiome signatures. These microbiome signatures differ both at baseline and in response to a fructan challenge.