Microbiota that affect risk for shigellosis in children in low-income countries

Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 Feb;21(2):242-50. doi: 10.3201/eid2101.140795.

Abstract

Pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract exist within a vast population of microbes. We examined associations between pathogens and composition of gut microbiota as they relate to Shigella spp./enteroinvasive Escherichia coli infection. We analyzed 3,035 stool specimens (1,735 nondiarrheal and 1,300 moderate-to-severe diarrheal) from the Global Enteric Multicenter Study for 9 enteropathogens. Diarrheal specimens had a higher number of enteropathogens (diarrheal mean 1.4, nondiarrheal mean 0.95; p<0.0001). Rotavirus showed a negative association with Shigella spp. in cases of diarrhea (odds ratio 0.31, 95% CI 0.17-0.55) and had a large combined effect on moderate-to-severe diarrhea (odds ratio 29, 95% CI 3.8-220). In 4 Lactobacillus taxa identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the association between pathogen and disease was decreased, which is consistent with the possibility that Lactobacillus spp. are protective against Shigella spp.-induced diarrhea. Bacterial diversity of gut microbiota was associated with diarrhea status, not high levels of the Shigella spp. ipaH gene.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Biodiversity
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child, Preschool
  • Developing Countries
  • Diarrhea / diagnosis
  • Diarrhea / epidemiology
  • Diarrhea / microbiology
  • Dysentery, Bacillary / diagnosis
  • Dysentery, Bacillary / epidemiology*
  • Dysentery, Bacillary / microbiology*
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Feces / virology
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology
  • Gastrointestinal Tract / virology
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Metagenome
  • Microbiota*
  • Odds Ratio
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Risk
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Shigella / classification
  • Shigella / genetics*

Substances

  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S