Analysis of the oral microbiota as a predictor for development of obesity

The Childhood Obesity Project has identified a significant negative association between the abundance of Fusobacterium in the oral microbiota and conditional weight gain in children. I am working to characterize the Fusobacterium by their species and abundance, as this will help us understand the specific relationships between microbes and child weight gain trajectories. We hope to use the findings from this study to identify patterns in the microbiota that may predispose individuals to obesity.