The effect of nutrition through gastrostomy on the intestinal microbiome in children

To assess the effect of gastrostomy feeding on the intestinal microbiome, a non-randomized retrospective study of 21 children aged 0 to 17 years was conducted. 3 groups were formed: the first group included children with a duration of gastrostomy feeding for less than a year, the second group - more than a year, and the third control group, which included children receiving oral feeding in accordance with age norms. 16S sequencing of the material (feces) was performed with subsequent determination of the taxonomic units of the intestinal microbiome and statistical processing of the results. Patients in groups 1 and 2 were found to have a decrease in microbial diversity compared to patients in group 3. Representatives of the phyla Euryarchaeota and Synergistota were significantly more common in intestinal microbiome of patients receiving gastrostomy feeding. Bacteria of the phylum Cyanobacteria, on the contrary, are more common in colon of children fed orally. The prevalence of representatives of the Methanobacteria class in the fecal microbiota was significantly higher in the group of children who received gastrostomy. The abundance of bacteria belonging to the Campylobacteria, Fusobacteriia and Synergistia classes was significantly higher in patients who received nutrition through a gastrostomy. The clinical significance of the identified changes requires further research. On the one hand, Campylobacteria and Fusobacteriia are opportunistic microorganisms and can participate in the development of infectious and inflammatory processes. On the other hand, representatives of the Euryarchaeota and Synergistota types are important participants in protein degradation and have an indirect anti-inflammatory effect.

Intestinal microbiome, gastrostomy, Euryarchaeota, Synergistota, Methanobacteria, Campylobacteria, Fusobacteriia

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