BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal (GI) difficulties are very common among children with cerebral palsy (CP) and comorbid epilepsy. GI function is influenced by dietary structure on gut microbiota. The aim of this study was to compare gut microbiota differences in two dietary groups of this population and examine whether such differences are related to GI dysfunction. METHODS Forty children with CP and epilepsy were recruited from a social welfare center, including 23 consuming a fluid diet (liquid diet group) and 17 consuming a normal diet (general diet group). Bacterial DNA was extracted from feces, the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified from the DNA, and high-throughput sequencing of the amplified sequences was performed. Microbe prevalence levels were compared on multiple phylogenic levels. RESULTS Gut microbial populations differed substantially between the liquid diet group and general diet group. The only two phyla that differed significantly between the two groups were Bacteroidetes (p = 0.034) and Actinobacteria (p = 0.013). Regarding representation of genera, Prevotella species were selectively predominant in the general diet group (25.849% vs. 3.612% in the liquid diet group, p < 0.001), while Bifidobacterium species were selectively predominant in the liquid diet group (24.929% vs. 12.947% in the general diet group, p = 0.013). The gut microbiota of children in the general diet group contained more butyric acid-producing microbiota which was also common in healthy people (e.g. Lachnoclostridium, Dorea, Ruminococcus, Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Coprococcus). The gut microbiota of children in liquid diet group however, were rich in symbiotic pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Collinsella, Alistipes, and Eggerthella). CONCLUSION The gut microbiota of children with CP and epilepsy consuming a liquid diet had elevated levels of symbiotic pathogens and diminished intestinal barrier protection bacteria, relative to a general diet group. These differences in bacterial microbiota were associated with GI dysfunction symptoms.

中文翻译：

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基于肠道菌群的不同膳食结构对脑瘫和癫痫患儿胃肠功能障碍的影响

背景 胃肠道 (GI) 困难在脑瘫 (CP) 和共存癫痫症儿童中非常常见。胃肠道功能受肠道微生物群的饮食结构影响。本研究的目的是比较该人群两个饮食组的肠道微生物群差异，并检查这些差异是否与胃肠道功能障碍有关。方法从社会福利中心招募40名脑瘫、癫痫患儿，其中流质饮食23例（流质饮食组），正常饮食17例（普通饮食组）。从粪便中提取细菌DNA，从DNA中扩增出16S rRNA基因的V3-V4区，并对扩增序列进行高通量测序。在多个系统发生水平上比较微生物流行水平。结果 流质饮食组和普通饮食组的肠道微生物数量存在显着差异。两组之间唯一存在显着差异的两个门是拟杆菌 (p = 0.034) 和放线菌 (p = 0.013)。关于属的代表性，普氏菌属在普通饮食组中选择性占优势（25.849% vs. 3.612% 在流质饮食组，p < 0.001），而双歧杆菌属在流质饮食组中选择性占优势（24.929% vs. 12.947一般饮食组中的百分比，p = 0.013）。普通饮食组儿童的肠道微生物群中含有更多的产丁酸微生物群，这在健康人群中也很常见（如 Lachnoclostridium、Dorea、Ruminococcus、Faecalibacterium、Roseburia 和 Coprococcus）。然而，流质饮食组儿童的肠道菌群，富含共生病原菌（如柯林斯氏菌、Alistipes 和 Eggerthella）。结论 与一般饮食组相比，使用流质饮食的 CP 和癫痫儿童的肠道微生物群共生病原体水平升高，肠道屏障保护细菌减少。细菌微生物群的这些差异与胃肠道功能障碍症状有关。