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Comment
. 2020 Feb 12;27(2):159-161.
doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.01.020.

Turning the "Phage" on Malnutrition and Stunting

Erin E Bolte  1 , Kjersti M Aagaard  2
Affiliations
Comment

Turning the "Phage" on Malnutrition and Stunting

Erin E Bolte et al. Cell Host Microbe. .

Abstract

Bacteriophages shape bacterial ecosystems, including community membership and their metabolic function. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Mirzaei et al. (2020) identify harbored bacteriophages among a Proteobacteria-dominant community unique to toddlers with stunted growth from Bangladesh, and that confer the capacity to similarly tailor microbiota profiles in vitro.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. A Different Phage Profile Identified as Unique to Stunted Children from an Observational Bangladesh Community Conferred the Capacity to Tailor Proteobacteria Community Profiles In Vitro
Left: microbial and phage community profiling identified unique differences between stunted (n = 30) and not-stunted (n = 30) children in an age- and diet-specific manner (younger, older, or both). Middle: in vitro cross-infection experiments faithfully recapitulated these findings, demonstrating that phages from younger stunted children conferred a growth advantage and niche dominance of Proteobacteria.
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