Microbiota in Functional GI Disorders in Infancy

Philip Sherman presents on the relationship between microbiota and functional GI disorders in infants and children. Dysbiosis is increasingly recognized as having an etiologic role in a variety of conditions, including functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as colic in infants and irritable bowel syndrome in older children. Infants with colic have decreased gut microbial diversity compared to controls. Children with IBS have similar gut microbiome profiles as healthy children, except for a greater abundance of γ-proteobacteria. Randomized controlled trials suggest that IBS may be treated effectively by probiotics such as Lactobacilus plantarum 299v and Bifodobacterium logum subsp infantis 35624.