<p>This project explores the nature of the human intestinal microbiome in healthy children and children with recurrent  abdominal pain. The overall goal is to obtain a robust knowledge-base of the intestinal microbiome in children without  evidence of pain or gastrointestinal disease, children with functional abdominal pain, and children with abdominal pain  and changes in bowel habits (irritable bowel syndrome).  Multiple strategies have been deployed to navigate and understand  the nature of the intestinal microbiome in childhood. These strategies include 454 pyrosequencing-based strategies to  sequence 16S rRNA genes and understand the detailed composition of microbes in healthy and disease groups. Microarray-based  hybridization with the PhyloChip and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) probes are being applied as complementary strategies  to gain an understanding of the intestinal microbiome from various perspectives. Data collected and analyzed during the  HMP UH2 and UH3 Demo project, from a set of healthy and IBS children may enable the identification of core microbiomes in children  in addition to variable components that may distinguish healthy from diseased pediatric states.  We are currently analyzing  the dataset for the presence of disease-specific signatures in the human microbiome, and correlating these microbial  signatures with pediatric health or IBS disease status.  This study explores the nature of core and variable human  microbiomes in pre-adolescent healthy children and children with recurrent abdominal pain.</p>

The Human Gut Microbiome and Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children

Gastrointestinal microbiome signatures of pediatric patients with irritable bowel syndrome.