To explore the research hotspots, developmental trajectory, and frontier trends in the field of pediatric gut microbiota in China through bibliometric analysis.

Relevant Chinese literature on pediatric gut microbiota, retrieved from the CNKI, Wanfang Medical Online, and VIP database from the inception of each database to December 31, 2025, was selected as the research subjects. CiteSpace 6.4R1 software was used to perform author collaboration network, keyword co-occurrence, clustering, timeline, and burst detection analyses on the retrieved and screened literature, and to construct visualized maps.

According to the retrieval strategy established in this study, a total of 3 173 Chinese literature articles related to research on pediatric gut microbiota were retrieved. After screening, 2 747 articles were ultimately included for analysis. The number of publications in this field in China exhibited a three-stage growth trend of " initiation-development-explosion", reaching a peak of 563 articles in 2025. Up to December 31, 2025, the results of this study were as follows. ①A core author collaboration network was formed, centered around Zhang Lin, Zheng Yuejie, Li Yuxia, and so on. ②High-frequency keywords included gut microbiota, children, probiotics, and so on. ③Keyword cluster analysis revealed the top three cluster labels as #0 immunity, #1 gut microbiota, and #2 infants. ④The keyword timeline map analysis indicated that recent research hotspots focused on the association between gut microbiota and pediatric digestive, neurological, and other multisystem diseases, covering clinical topics such as functional constipation, bronchial asthma, autism spectrum disorder, and tic disorders in children. Meanwhile, the research interest in high-throughput sequencing and pediatric massage techniques continued to rise. ⑤Keyword burst analysis showed high burst intensity for terms like diarrhea, pediatric diarrhea, and infant diarrhea, while functional dyspepsia, obesity, and recurrent respiratory infections emerged as new research hotspots in the field in recent years.

Research on pediatric gut microbiota in China continues to gain momentum, with current research focusing on the association between gut microbiota and digestive, neurological, immune and other multisystem diseases, as well as intervention studies. Traditional Chinese medicine therapies, such as pediatric massage, are a distinctive feature of this research in China. Future research should delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying these themes, driving the field to shift from phenomenological correlations to precise interventions.