Characteristics of intestinal microflora in children with Idiopathic Short Stature：A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Idiopathic short stature (ISS) accounts for more than 70% of childhood short stature with undefined etiology and pathogenesis, leading to limited treatment of ISS. However, recent studies have shown intestinal microflora might be associated with ISS. This study aimed to detect the characteristics of intestinal microflora in ISS children and the effect of treatment with growth hormone and to evaluate the association of specific bacterial species with ISS. Methods This study enrolled a total of 55 children including 40 children diagnosed with ISS from Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University and 15 healthy children as control. The subjects were divided into the UISS group (22 ISS children that haven’t been treated with rhGH), the TISS group (18 ISS children that have been treated with rhGH for 1 year) and the NC group (15 healthy children). High throughput sequencing was used to detect their intestinal microflora characteristics. Result There were higher abundances of Bacteroides, Prevotella, Alistipes, Parabacteroides, Agathobacter and Roseburia in the UISS and TISS groups than in the NC group, but Bifidobacterium, Subdoligranulum and Romboutsia were less abundant. The composition of the intestinal microflora in the UISS and TISS groups was almost identical except for Prevotella. The TISS group had significantly lower levels of Prevotella than the UISS group, which was closer to the NC group. Meanwhile, ROC curve analysis revealed that the abundance of Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides and Subdoligranulum were effective for differentiating between the UISS and NC groups. Conclusion The alteration of intestinal microflora might contribute to the development and progression of ISS. Specific bacterial species, like Prevotella, may be involved in the development of ISS.