Significance Stunting globally affects an estimated 155 million children under 5 years of age, representing about 25% of children worldwide. Due to poor understanding of the underlying pathophysiology, therapeutic interventions to efficiently correct for linear growth delay or associated pathophysiological disturbances are still lacking. Here, we describe the microbial composition of duodenal fluids from stunted children. We show that these children are affected by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and harbor a characteristic microbial community composed mainly of oropharyngeal bacteria. This microbial signature is also reflected in their feces and conserved between countries. Stunting is traditionally considered to arise from recurrent enteric infections. This study shows that oropharyngeal taxa are associated with stunting, suggesting that alternative pathophysiological mechanisms are involved.
Stunted childhood growth is associated with decompartmentalization of the gastrointestinal tract and overgrowth of oropharyngeal taxa | Litlas
