Overview
- Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia report that exhaled volatile organic compounds reflect gut microbial composition in children and mice.
- Analysis of breath and stool from 27 healthy children showed that detected compounds matched metabolites produced by microbes identified through metagenomic sequencing.
- Mouse experiments, including germ-free transplants, confirmed that the breath volatilome serves as a proxy for gut microbiome shifts across species.
- A four‑VOC breath model distinguished healthy children from those with asthma and estimated the gut abundance of Eubacterium siraeum, a bacterium linked to pediatric asthma.
- The authors emphasize clinical potential for noninvasive, rapid assessment of microbiome health, noting that larger cohorts, external validation, and device development are required before clinical use.