Effects of drinking water chlorination on childrens intestinal flora and resistomes in Dhaka, Bangladesh: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Water chlorination is a promising strategy for reducing exposure to diarrheal pathogens and associated antibiotic use among young children in low income countries, with potential benefits for the gut microbiome and long term health. Members of our team recently conducted a cluster randomized trial of passive water chlorination devices installed at shared taps in urban Bangladesh that disinfected all water used for domestic purposes including drinking, cooking, personal hygiene, and cleaning. The objectives of the present study were to examine the impacts of water chlorination on childrens gut microbiomes, including the resistance genes and gastrointestinal pathogens that they harbored, across different phases of gut microbiome development.

氯化消毒是低收入国家幼儿降低腹泻病原体暴露风险、减少相关抗生素使用量的颇具前景的干预策略，同时对肠道微生物组（gut microbiome）及长期健康具有潜在益处。本团队近期在孟加拉国城市地区开展了一项整群随机对照试验（cluster randomized trial），针对安装于公共取水点的被动式氯化消毒装置展开研究，该装置可对所有家庭用水（包括饮用水、烹饪用水、个人洗护用水及清洁用水）进行消毒处理。本研究旨在探究氯化消毒对肠道微生物组发育不同阶段儿童肠道微生物组的影响，涵盖其所携带的耐药基因与胃肠道病原体。