Association between intestinal bacterial carriage, biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction, and stunting in rural Malawian children

Abstract

Background . Available data from murine studies suggest that intestinal bacteria may have a role in modulating growth phenotypes in the host. We investigated the prevalence of four gut bacteria known in murine models to impair growth ( Bifidobacterium longum, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Dorea formicigenerans, and Akkermansia muciniphila ), the level of fecal biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) and stunting in rural Malawian children. Methods. DNA and protein were extracted from fecal samples of rural Malawian children (aged 1-59 months) at a baseline cross-sectional survey in the Mangochi district of Malawi conducted within the framework of the Macrolides Oraux pour Réduire les Décès avec un Oeil sur la Résistance (MORDOR) trial. Intestinal carriage of bacteria was measured by PCR. Neopterin (NEO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT), biomarkers of EED, were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Height-for-age Z (HAZ) score