In vitro fermentation of B-GOS: impact on faecal bacterial populations and metabolic activity in autistic and non-autistic children

Grimaldi, R., Cela, D., Swann, J. R., Vulevic, J., Gibson, G. R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0566-0476, Tzortzis, G. and Costabile, A. (2017) In vitro fermentation of B-GOS: impact on faecal bacterial populations and metabolic activity in autistic and non-autistic children. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 93 (2). fiw233. ISSN 1574-6941 doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiw233

Abstract/Summary

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often suffer gastrointestinal problems consistent with imbalances in the gut microbial population. Treatment with antibiotics or pro/prebiotics has been postulated to regulate microbiota and improve gut symptoms, but there is a lack of evidence for such approaches, especially for prebiotics. This study assessed the influence of a prebiotic galactooligosaccharide (B-GOS) on gut microbial ecology and metabolic function using faecal samples from autistic and non-autistic children in an in vitro gut model system. Bacteriology was analysed using flow cytometry combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization and metabolic activity by HPLC and 1H-NMR. Consistent with previous studies, the microbiota of ASD children contained a higher number of Clostridium spp. and a lower number of bifidobacteria compared to non-autistic children. B-GOS administration significantly increased bifidobacterial populations in each compartment of the models, both with autistic and non-autistic derived samples, and lactobacilli in the final vessel of non-autistic models. In addition, changes in other bacterial population have been seen in particular for Clostridium, Rosburia, Bacteroides, Atopobium, F. prausnitzii, Sutterella spp. and Veillonellaceae. Furthermore, the addition of B-GOS to the models significantly altered short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in both groups, and increased ethanol and lactate in autistic children.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/68883
Identification Number/DOI	10.1093/femsec/fiw233
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences > Food Microbial Sciences Research Group
Publisher	Wiley
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