Is gut microbiota a key player in epilepsy onset? A longitudinal study in drug-naive children

The gut microbial community of eight children at their seizure onset and after antiepileptic therapy initiation (up to one year) has been investigated.We observed, in drug-naive subjects, a microbial signature sharing several features with those reported in refractory epilepsy, such as an increased abundance in Akkermansia spp. and Proteobacteria and a decreased relative abundance in Faecalibacterium spp.We suggest that a bacterial-mediated proinflammatory milieu could participate in seizure occurrence in predisposed children and in subjects with drug-resistant epilepsy.