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. 2010 Sep 28;16(36):4532-40.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i36.4532.

Association of symptoms with gastrointestinal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome

Erja Malinen  1 , Lotta Krogius-Kurikka, Anna Lyra, Janne Nikkilä, Anne Jääskeläinen, Teemu Rinttilä, Terttu Vilpponen-Salmela, Atte Johannes von Wright, Airi Palva
Affiliations

Association of symptoms with gastrointestinal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome

Erja Malinen et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the correlations between self-reported symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota composition.

Methods: Fecal samples were collected from a total of 44 subjects diagnosed with IBS. Their symptoms were monitored with a validated inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire adjusted for IBS patients. Thirteen quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were applied to evaluate the GI microbiota composition. Eubacteria and GI bacterial genera (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Veillonella), groups (Clostridium coccoides/Eubacterium rectale, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans) and distinct bacterial phylotypes [closest 16S rDNA sequence resemblance to species Bifidobacterium catenulatum, Clostridium cocleatum, Collinsella aerofaciens (C. aerofaciens), Coprococcus eutactus (C. eutactus), Ruminococcus torques and Streptococcus bovis] with a suspected association with IBS were quantified. Correlations between quantities or presence/absence data of selected bacterial groups or phylotypes and various IBS-related symptoms were investigated.

Results: Associations were observed between subjects' self-reported symptoms and the presence or quantities of certain GI bacteria. A Ruminococcus torques (R. torques)-like (94% similarity in 16S rRNA gene sequence) phylotype was associated with severity of bowel symptoms. Furthermore, among IBS subjects with R. torques 94% detected, the amounts of C. cocleatum 88%, C. aerofaciens-like and C. eutactus 97% phylotypes were significantly reduced. Interesting observations were also made concerning the effect of a subject's weight on GI microbiota with regard to C. aerofaciens-like phylotype, Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp.

Conclusion: Bacteria seemingly affecting the symptom scores are unlikely to be the underlying cause or cure of IBS, but they may serve as biomarkers of the condition.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Principal component analysis of bacterial data and patient symptom scores. A: Dimension 1 explains 20.4% of the observed variation among test subjects when bacterial data and symptom groups are studied. The four symptom groups have correlations with Dimension 1 of 0.77-0.63, all with P < 0.001, and Ruminococcus torques 94% has a correlation of 0.58, with P < 0.001. Coprococcus eutactus 97%, Bifidobacterium spp., Veillonella spp. and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans-group also present significant, albeit smaller, negative correlations with Dimension 1; B: When the bowel symptom sum is studied question-wise, individual symptoms (except for soiling) as well as Ruminococcus torques 94% show a significant correlation of 0.57-0.75, with P < 0.001, with Dimension 1. Negative associations are observed for Collinsella aerofaciens-like, Coprococcus eutactus 97%, Veillonella spp., Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp.
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