Gut microbiome diversity in a febrile seizure mouse model

Abstract

Purpose Febrile seizures at a young age can provoke late-onset temporal lobe epilepsy. Since recent evidence has suggested that the gut microbiome affects central nervous system pathology across the blood-brain barrier, we hypothesized that febrile seizures alter the composition of the gut microbiome to provoke epilepsy. Methods Third-generation C57BL/6 mice were separated into two groups (n = 5 each), and hot air was applied to only one group to cause febrile seizures. After two weeks of heat challenge, the fecal pellets acquired from each group were analyzed. Results The gut microbiota of fecal pellets from each group revealed five taxa at the genus level and eight taxa at the species level that were significantly different in proportion between the groups. Conclusion Although there was no significant difference in the overall diversity of the gut microbiota between the two groups, the identified heterogeneity may imply the pathognomonic causative relevance of febrile seizures and the development of epilepsy.

Keywords

• epilepsy
• gastrointestinal microbiome
• febrile seizures