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Anemia During Infancy Affects the Fecal Microbiome and Fecal and Serum Metabolomes
Author(s) -
McClorry Shan,
Zavaleta Nelly,
Llanos Alejandro,
Casaría Martin,
Lönnerdal Bo,
Slupsky Carolyn
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.958.16
Subject(s) - feces , microbiome , anemia , metabolome , physiology , metabolism , iron deficiency , iron deficiency anemia , bacteroides , biology , medicine , endocrinology , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , bioinformatics , metabolite , genetics
While anemia can be the result of several micronutrient deficiencies, iron deficiency is frequently the cause. Children under the age of 2 are commonly affected by iron deficiency anemia, particularly in developing nations where repeated infection can exacerbate existing nutritional deficiency. Iron deficiency during childhood is associated with several negative outcomes, some of which persist beyond repletion. Here we investigated alterations in systemic metabolism and microbial diversity and functionality in a cross‐section of 6 mo and 12 mo anemic and non‐anemic Peruvian infants (n=200). Serum and fecal metabolomes were assessed using 1 H‐NMR and the fecal microbiome by 16S rRNA sequencing. Differences in microbial communities between the ages were as expected, with 6 mo old subjects exhibiting a greater abundance of Bifidobacteria, and lower abundance of Bacteroidetes and Clostridia , in comparison to the 12 mo old subjects. In 6 mo old subjects, we observed few differences in microbial communities and the fecal metabolome between anemic and non‐anemic subjects, though there were suggestions of impaired systemic energy metabolism as indicated by decreased levels of TCA cycle intermediates. In 12 mo old subjects, the structure of the microbial community did not exhibit many differences between anemic and non‐anemic infants. However, the fecal metabolomes suggested changes in community functionality with anemic infants having greater concentrations of both toxic and antioxidant compounds. While the concentrations of many of these compounds are too low to be quantified in blood, these differences have the potential to influence systemic metabolism. Additionally, 12 mo old anemic subjects exhibited expected decreases energy metabolism, and interesting male‐specific changes in amino acid levels were also observed. Considering that a greater proportion of anemia in the 12 mo old male subjects can be attributed to iron deficiency in comparison to the 12 mo old females, these patterns may begin to provide clues regarding why males are at a greater risk of developing IDA. Furthermore, these results highlight metabolic differences in anemia, and suggest how anemia negatively impacts long‐term development, potentially in a sex‐specific manner. Support or Funding Information Support for this project was provided by GAIN.