title: Higher diversity in fungal species discriminates children with type 1 diabetes mellitus from healthy control.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conduct qualitative and quantitative assessment of yeast-like fungi in the feces of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with respect to their metabolic control and duration of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The studied materials included samples of fresh feces collected from 53 children and adolescents with T1DM. Control group included 30 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Medical history was taken and physical examination was conducted in the two study arms. Prevalence of the yeast-like fungi in the feces was determined as well as their amounts, species diversity, drug susceptibility, and enzymatic activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The yeast-like fungi were found in the samples of feces from 75.4% of T1DM patients and 70% controls. In the group of T1DM patients, no correlation was found between age (Rs=0.253, P=0.068), duration of diabetes (Rs=-0.038, P=0.787), or body mass index (Rs=0.150, P=0.432) and the amount of the yeast-like fungi isolated in the feces. Moreover, no correlation was seen between the amount of the yeast-like fungi and glycated hemoglobin (Rs=0.0324, P=0.823), systolic blood pressure (Rs=0.102, P=0.483), or diastolic blood pressure (Rs=0.271, P=0.345).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our research has shown that children and adolescents with T1DM show higher species diversity of the yeast-like fungi, with Candida albicans being significantly less prevalent versus control subjects. Moreover, fungal species in patients with T1DM turn out to be more resistant to antifungal treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kowalewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Environmental Microbiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zorena
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Paediatrics, Diabetology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szmigiero-Kawko
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wąż
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Paediatrics, Diabetology and Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Myśliwiec
keywords: children; diabetes mellitus type 1; drug susceptibility; duration of the disease; metabolic control; yeast-like fungi