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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1477893
This article is part of the Research Topic Impact of Gut Microbiota on Neurogenesis and Neurological Diseases During Early Life View all 9 articles

Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) and gut microbiota composition: what do we know? Authors

Provisionally accepted
Veronica Maria Tagi Veronica Maria Tagi 1,2Martina Tosi Martina Tosi 1,3Ilenia Pia Greco Ilenia Pia Greco 1Eliana Stucchi Eliana Stucchi 1Elvira Verduci Elvira Verduci 3,4*Gianvincenzo Zuccotti Gianvincenzo Zuccotti 1,2
  • 1 Department of Pediatrics, Vittore Buzzi Children's Hospital, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
  • 2 Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
  • 3 Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
  • 4 Metabolic Diseases Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Vittore Buzzi Children's Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Post-streptococcal autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders (PANDAS) are a group of pathological condition characterized by sudden-onset obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders following betahaemolytic Streptococcus group A (GAS) infection, hypothesized to be caused by autoimmune mechanisms targeting the basal ganglia. Scant literature is available regarding the microbiota composition in children with PANDAS, however few studies support the hypothesis that streptococcal infections may alter gut microbiota composition in these patients, leading to chronic inflammation that may impact the brain function and behaviour. Notable changes include reduced microbial diversity and shifts in bacterial populations, which affect metabolic functions crucial for neuroinflammation.Elevated serum levels of sNOX2-dp and isoprostanes indicate oxidative stress, while the presence of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) may contribute to neuroinflammation.The aim of this narrative review is to explore the link between PANDAS and gut microbiota composition.The potential connection between gut microbiota and neuropsychiatric symptoms in PANDAS might suggest the importance of dietary interventions, such as promoting the Mediterranean diet and fiber intake, to reduce the inflammatory state of this patients and therefore improve their outcome.

    Keywords: pandas, Gut Microbiota, nutrition, Diet, gut-brain axis, Oxidative Stress

    Received: 08 Aug 2024; Accepted: 10 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tagi, Tosi, Greco, Stucchi, Verduci and Zuccotti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Elvira Verduci, Metabolic Diseases Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Vittore Buzzi Children's Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy, Milan, Lombardy, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.