Gut microbial signatures expose the westernized lifestyle of urban Ethiopian children.

Household crowding and consumption of traditional fermented tef predict higher alpha-diversity in urban Ethiopian children.

• Children living in single-room households showed lower alpha-diversity compared to those in multi-room households.
• Consumption of Eragrostis tef, a traditional fermented cereal, was associated with increased fecal microbial diversity.
• Study cohort comprised approximately 200 Ethiopian children aged 2-5 years from Adama, Ethiopia.
• Both 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics were used to analyze fecal samples.

Well-studied factors such as delivery mode, breastfeeding, and family size had only minor effects on alpha-diversity.

• C-section delivery, breastfeeding history, and family size did not substantially predict alpha-diversity in this urban Ethiopian cohort.
• This contrasts with findings typically reported in European and North American pediatric cohorts.
• The cohort was from Adama, Ethiopia, an urban setting where Western perinatal care practices are accessible.

Stunted growth was associated with increased fecal microbial diversity in urban Ethiopian children.

• Stunted growth was identified as a factor associated with higher alpha-diversity.
• This finding was observed in children aged 2-5 years in an urban Ethiopian setting.
• The association contrasts with typical expectations linking stunting to reduced microbial diversity.

Absence of Helicobacter pylori infection was associated with increased fecal microbial diversity.

• H. pylori infection status was identified as a predictor of alpha-diversity, with absence of infection linked to higher diversity.
• This finding was identified in the urban Ethiopian pediatric cohort using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics.
• H. pylori is known to be prevalent in low- and middle-income country settings.

Rural African signature genera Segatella and Prevotella were largely absent in urban Ethiopian children.

• Metagenomic profiling revealed the near-absence of Segatella and Prevotella, which are typically enriched in rural African gut microbiota.
• Instead, urban Ethiopian children displayed a high Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio.
• Metabolic pathways linked to a westernized diet were enriched in this cohort.
• The gut microbiota profile of urban Ethiopian children resembled that of European children rather than rural Ethiopian children.

Urban westernized lifestyle alters gut microbiota composition in Ethiopian children, with traditional fermented diet potentially partially offsetting these changes.

• Urban Ethiopian families have transitioned to characteristics including smaller family sizes, access to perinatal care including C-section delivery, non-traditional food sources, and widespread antibiotic availability.
• Consumption of traditional fermented tef was associated with higher microbial diversity, suggesting a partial buffering effect against westernization of the microbiome.
• The study used both 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics on approximately 200 children aged 2-5 years.