The intestinal microbiome of inflammatory bowel disease across the pediatric age range.

Dysbiosis is associated with pediatric and adult-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the role of dysbiosis and the microbiome in very early onset IBD (VEO-IBD) has not yet been described. Here, we aimed to demonstrate the impact of age and inflammation on microbial community structure using shotgun metagenomic sequencing in children with VEO-IBD, pediatric-onset IBD, and age-matched pediatric healthy controls (HC) observed longitudinally over the course of 8 weeks. We found disease-related differences in alpha and beta diversity between HC and children with IBD or VEO-IBD.

Enterobacteriaceae Growth Promotion by Intestinal Acylcarnitines, a Biomarker of Dysbiosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background & Aims: Altered plasma acylcarnitine levels are well-known biomarkers for a variety of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation disorders and can be used as an alternative energy source for the intestinal epithelium when short-chain fatty acids are low. These membrane-permeable fatty acid intermediates are excreted into the gut lumen via bile and are increased in the feces of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: Herein, based on studies in human subjects, animal models, and bacterial cultures, we show a strong positive correlation between fecal carnitine and acylcarnitines and the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in IBD where they can be consumed by bacteria both in vitro and in vivo.