16S MiSeq sequencing of 3-24 months Children of Vellore India

Alterations in the gut microbiome have been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of childhood malnutrition. Recently, the gut microbiome was shown to be causally associated with severe acute malnutrition. However, there have been no reported studies on the role of the gut microbiome in chronic malnutrition or stunting. Stunting (low height for age) affects 27% of children under 5 years of age (~170 million children) in the resource-limited world and is thought to account for 20 to 30% of childhood mortality globally. India has the highest number of stunted children in the world, (61 million children or 48% of children < 5 years of age). Low birth weight is a major risk factor for stunting. In a pilot study of children in a birth cohort of children in an urban slum in Vellore, India, we compared the composition and diversity of the stool microbiota every 3 months from 3 to 24 months of age in 10 children with normal birth weight, who were never stunted and 10 children with low birth weight who were persistently stunted by the age of 2 years.