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World Journal of Pediatrics
Published in: World Journal of Pediatrics 5/2023

10-01-2023 | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus | Original Article

Altered gut microbiota composition in children and their caregivers infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

Authors: Yi-Zhong Wang, Jian-Guo Zhou, Yan-Ming Lu, Hui Hu, Fang-Fei Xiao, Ting Ge, Xing Wang, Lu Zheng, Lian-Hu Yu, Jun Le, Hui Yu, Guang-Jun Yu, Qiang Xia, Ting Zhang, Wen-Hao Zhou

Published in: World Journal of Pediatrics | Issue 5/2023

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Abstract

Background

Gut microbiota alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to explore gut microbiota changes in a prospective cohort of COVID-19 children and their asymptomatic caregivers infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant.

Methods

A total of 186 participants, including 59 COVID-19 children, 50 asymptomatic adult caregivers, 52 healthy children (HC), and 25 healthy adults (HA), were recruited between 15 April and 31 May 2022. The gut microbiota composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing in fecal samples collected from the participants. Gut microbiota functional profiling was performed by using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) software.

Results

The gut microbiota analysis of beta diversity revealed that the fecal microbial community of COVID-19 children remained far distantly related to HC. The relative abundances of the phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were decreased, whereas Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobiota were increased in COVID-19 children. Feces from COVID-19 children exhibited notably lower abundances of the genera Blautia, Bifidobacterium, Fusicatenibacter, Streptococcus, and Romboutsia and higher abundances of the genera Prevotella, Lachnoclostridium, Escherichia-Shigella, and Bacteroides than those from HC. The enterotype distributions of COVID-19 children were characterized by a high prevalence of enterotype Bacteroides. Similar changes in gut microbiota compositions were observed in asymptomatic caregivers. Furthermore, the microbial metabolic activities of KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) and COG (cluster of orthologous groups of proteins) pathways were perturbed in feces from subjects infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

Conclusion

Our data reveal altered gut microbiota compositions in both COVID-19 children and their asymptomatic caregivers infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, which further implicates the critical role of gut microbiota in COVID-19 pathogenesis.
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Metadata
Title
Altered gut microbiota composition in children and their caregivers infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
Authors
Yi-Zhong Wang
Jian-Guo Zhou
Yan-Ming Lu
Hui Hu
Fang-Fei Xiao
Ting Ge
Xing Wang
Lu Zheng
Lian-Hu Yu
Jun Le
Hui Yu
Guang-Jun Yu
Qiang Xia
Ting Zhang
Wen-Hao Zhou
Publication date
10-01-2023
Publisher
Springer Nature Singapore
Published in
World Journal of Pediatrics / Issue 5/2023
Print ISSN: 1708-8569
Electronic ISSN: 1867-0687
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-022-00659-6

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