Abnormal fecal microbiota and immune dysfunction in school-aged children with depression

Childhood depression negatively impacts growth and development, school performance, and peer or family relationships and may lead to suicide, while its etiology and pathogenesis are largely unknown. Increasing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays vital roles in the occurrence and development of childhood depression. However, the characteristics of gut microbiota in childhood depression is not investigated extensively, as most common clinical studies between gut microbiota and depression are performed in the adult cohort.