Characteristics of Fecal and Mucosa-Associated Microbiota in Chinese Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and geographical and genetic backgrounds impact the composition of the intestinal microbiota. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the overall changes and characteristics of fecal-associated microbiota (FAM) and mucosa-associated microbiota (MAM) in Chinese patients with IBD. We recruited 26 patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), 46 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 21 healthy individuals; we collected matched fresh fecal and mucosal samples from the same subjects. The microbial communities were studied by 454-pyrosequencing. Community-wide changes in FAM and MAM were observed in patients with IBD. The proportion of several butyrate-producing bacteria, such as of the genera Roseburia, Coprococcus, and Ruminococcus were significantly reduced, whereas the pathogens Escherichia-Shigella and Enterococcus were prevalent in patients with IBD. FAM and MAM were similar between CD and UC. FAM differed from MAM in healthy individuals and patients with UC. In conclusion, the compositions of FAM and MAM were altered in patients with IBD. The reduction of butyrate-producing bacteria and the increase in opportunistic pathogens might be associated with the pathogenesis of IBD.

Composition and function of the pediatric colonic mucosal microbiome in untreated patients with ulcerative colitis

“…35 We found a significant decrease in the relative abundance of the genus Roseburia in the UC patients, which is consistent with previously reported studies. 15,20,36 The genus Roseburia includes known butyrate producing organisms and butyrate can interact with the intestinal epithelium to produce an antiinflammatory environment 37 and modulate intestinal barrier function. 38 In patients with UC, a decrease in SCFA production is correlated with reductions in Roseburia abundance.…”

“…Mouse models revealed that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has antiinflammatory properties and, in patients with CD, reductions in ileal F. prausnitzii abundance were associated with disease recurrence. 14 In patients with UC, studies have reported either no change 4,10,15 or lower 4,9,[16][17][18] abundance of F. prausnitzii. However, select patients with UC may carry increased amounts of this bacterium in the colonic mucosa.…”

“…20 Additionally, age may independently alter the gut microbiome in patients with IBD, so studies of adult populations may not generalize to children. 21 Finally, microbial communities differ between stool and mucosa, 7,15,22,23 and studies of mucosal samples may provide a more accurate model of microbe-host interaction. Therefore, the aim of our study was to characterize the mucosal microbiome of pediatric UC patients prior to beginning therapies and identify bacteria associated with specific clinical outcomes.…”

Serial Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Alters Mucosal Gene Expression in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis

“…At the genus level, only Coprococcus changed (increased) in abundance by more than twofold. The abundance of Coprococcus (a genus including butyrate-producing bacteria) has been found to be decreased in inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD) patients (5). Therefore, the increased abundance of Coprococcus and Lachnospiraceae upon the FMT series may have delivered beneficial effects to the colonic epithelium of the UC patients (recipients).…”

Extending colonic mucosal microbiome analysis—assessment of colonic lavage as a proxy for endoscopic colonic biopsies

“…Although the majority of studies have assessed gut microbial diversity through analysis of faecal samples, their ability to reflect microbial diversity at the mucosal surface is inadequate [21–23]. Mucosal biopsies display greater microbial diversity than faecal samples [24] as well as taxonomic and phylogenetic differences [25] and contrasting dominant bacterial populations [22].…”