Development of the Pediatric Gut Microbiome: Impact on Health and Disease

Abstract

<p class="first" id="P1">The intestinal microbiota are important in proper human growth and development before and after birth, during infancy and childhood. Microbial composition may yield insights into the temporal development of microbial communities and vulnerabilities to disorders of microbial ecology such as recurrent <i>Clostridium difficile</i> infection. Discoveries of key microbiome features of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism are lending new insights into possible new therapies or preventative strategies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the development of the pediatric gastrointestinal microbiome, the influence of the microbiome on the developing brain through the gut-brain axis, and the impact of dysbiosis on the development of disease. Microbial dysbiosis will be explored in the context of pediatric allergy and asthma, recurrent <i>C. difficile</i> infection, IBD, IBS, and metabolic disorders. The central premise is that the human intestinal microbiome plays a vital role throughout human life beginning in the prenatal period and extending throughout childhood in health and disease. </p>