Gut microbiome in girls and women with Rett Syndrome

Gastrointestinal problems affect the health and quality of life of individuals with Rett syndrome (RTT) and pose a substantial challenge for their caregivers. We characterized the gut bacterial microbiome in girls and young women with RTT and unaffected controls, and examined the relation between the composition of the microbiome and variations in the RTT phenotype. Stool samples were collected for analysis of the gut microbiome using the Illumina MiSeq-based next generation sequencing of the 16S V4 rRNA gene followed by bioinformatic analysis of microbial composition, diversity , and community structure.