Blood infections in pediatric cancer patients can be predicted by a compromised microbiome

A study published in PLOS One reported that a compromised microbiome can be used to determine if pediatric cancer patients will develop blood infections. According to the authors, infections in patients allegedly caused by central lines (long, flexible tubes used to provide pediatric patients with the necessary medication, fluids, and nutrients) could actually be caused by changes in their microbiome.

• Blood infections and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections (CDI) in pediatric oncology/hematology/bone marrow transplant patients are linked to “significant morbidity and mortality.”
• CDI causes serious intestinal conditions and both adults and children diagnosed with the infection often require in-hospital care, medication, and various therapies.
• The study aims to examine possible connections between changes in the composition of the microbiome and the occurrence of blood infections and C. difficile among pediatric cancer patients.
• Stool samples were gathered from all patients admitted to the pediatric oncology floor from October to December 2012 and the bacterial profiles from the samples were determined using bacterial 16S rRNA gene profiling.
• The researchers report that different bacterial groups varied between subjects with post-admission blood infections compared to those without blood infections.
• The study’s results determined that changes in the gut microbiota are linked to the type of cancer and chemotherapy and that it can also predict possible cases of bloodstream infection among pediatric cancer patients.

The researchers posit that future studies are necessary to determine a clearer link between changes in fecal microbiome composition and bloodstream infections in young cancer patients. Should the studies determine a link between the two, healthcare experts can use the information to create solutions that can “predict, prevent, and better treat these infections by following changes in the intestinal microbiome and/or utilizing preventative strategies or targeted therapies against intestinal dysbiosis.”

Journal Reference: 

Nycz BT, Dominguez SR, Friedman D, Hilden JM, Ir D, Robertson CE, Frank DN. EVALUATION OF BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS, CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE INFECTIONS, AND GUT MICROBIOTA IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY PATIENTS. PLOS One. 2018;13(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191232