The Human Microbiome in Pediatric Abdominal Pain and Intestinal Inflammation

This project will increase our understanding of the microbes that reside in the intestines of healthy children and children with various intestinal disorders. The findings from this project will enable scientists to determine the nature of beneficial microbial populations in intestines of healthy children, and whether specific differences in groups of microbes may contribute to diseases in children. Ultimately, the discoveries from this project may allow physicians to manipulate microbes in the intestine in order to promote health and cure or prevent disease.