Open AccessThe fecal microbiota of Thai school-aged children associated with demographic factors and diet
Author(s) -
Lucsame Gruneck,
Eleni Gentekaki,
Kongkiat Kespechara,
Justin Denny,
Thomas J. Sharpton,
Lisa K. Marriott,
Jackilen Shan,
Siam Popluechai
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
peerj
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.927
H-Index - 70
ISSN - 2167-8359
DOI - 10.7717/peerj.13325
Subject(s) - gut flora , biology , ruminococcus , prevotella , breastfeeding , microbiome , firmicutes , population , feces , bifidobacterium , gammaproteobacteria , physiology , immunology , environmental health , medicine , ecology , lactobacillus , food science , genetics , pediatrics , 16s ribosomal rna , bacteria , fermentation
Background Birth delivery method and breastfeeding practices contribute to microbiota colonization. Other factors including diet and demographic factors structure the gut microbiome assembly and diversity through childhood development. The exploration of these factors, especially in Southeast Asian children, remains limited. Methods We investigated the fecal microbiota of 127 school-aged children in Thailand using quantitative PCR (qPCR) to assess the influence of diet and demographic factors on the gut microbiota. Multivariate analysis (multiple factor analysis (MFA) and Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA)) were used to link particular gut microbes to diet and demographic factors. Results Diet and demographic factors were associated with variation among gut microbiota. The abundance of Gammaproteobacteria increased in children with infrequent intake of high fat foods. Obese children possessed a lower level of Firmicutes and Ruminococcus . Bifidobacterium was enriched in pre-teen aged children and detected at lower levels among formula-fed children. Prevotella was more abundant in children who were delivered vaginally. While ethnicity explained a small amount of variation in the gut microbiota, it nonetheless was found to be significantly associated with microbiome composition. Conclusions Exogenous and demographic factors associate with, and possibly drive, the assembly of the gut microbiome of an understudied population of school-aged children in Thailand.