Chronic functional constipation is a common gastrointestinal disorder in children with no underlying organic cause. Although reasons such as bad eating habits and early transition to solid food are blamed for constipation, the etiology of the disease has not been fully elucidated. Our study aims to determine the differences in stool microbiota between children with chronic functional constipation and healthy children. Feces samples of 49 patients and 40 healthy children who meet Rome IV criteria were analyzed by 16s rRNA /PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method. Within the sample microbial diversity, the Shannon diversity index was calculated based on the profiles obtained using the R 2.15.2 software package programe. In our study, no statistically significant difference was found between the study group and the control group in terms of the Shannon Diversity Index (p 0.005). Although there is no significant difference between microbiota subtypes, the fact that Lactobacillus kefiri and Bifidobacterium infantis were detected only in healthy children may guide the supportive treatments to be given to constipated children. The results of our study also show that there is a need for more comprehensive studies in large populations, supporting other literature studies showing that the gastrointestinal microbiota is different in constipated and normal children.
Key words: Bifidobacterium infantis, child, constipation, microbiota, lactobacillus kefiri
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