Journal Article

Characterization of Adherent Bacteroidales from Intestinal Biopsies of Children and Young Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Snapper, Scott B., Franklin, Sarah W., Bousvaros, Athos, Atkinson, Benjamin J., Zitomersky, Naamah L., Mitchell, Paul D., Comstock, Laurie E.

2013

Overview

There is extensive evidence implicating the intestinal microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], but no microbial agent has been identified as a sole causative agent. Bacteroidales are numerically dominant intestinal organisms that associate with the mucosal surface and have properties that both positively and negatively affect the host. To determine precise numbers and species of Bacteroidales adherent to the mucosal surface in IBD patients, we performed a comprehensive culture based analysis of intestinal biopsies from pediatric Crohn's disease [CD], ulcerative colitis [UC], and control subjects. We obtained biopsies from 94 patients and used multiplex PCR or 16S rDNA sequencing of Bacteroidales isolates for species identification. Eighteen different Bacteroidales species were identified in the study group, with up to ten different species per biopsy, a number higher than demonstrated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods. Species diversity was decreased in IBD compared to controls and with increasingly inflamed tissue. There were significant differences in predominant Bacteroidales species between biopsies from the three groups and from inflamed and uninflamed sites. Parabacteroides distasonis significantly decreased in inflamed tissue. All 373 Bacteroidales isolates collected in this study grew with mucin as the only utilizable carbon source suggesting this is a non-pathogenic feature of this bacterial order. Bacteroides fragilis isolates with the enterotoxin gene [bft], previously associated with flares of colitis, were not found more often at inflamed colonic sites or within IBD subjects. B. fragilis isolates with the ability to synthesize the immunomodulatory polysaccharide A [PSA], previously shown to be protective in murine models of colitis, were not detected more often from healthy versus inflamed tissue.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adolescent / Adults / Analysis / Animal models / Antibiotics / Bacteria / Bacteroidales / Bacteroides fragilis / Bacteroides fragilis - genetics / Bacteroides fragilis - physiology / Bacteroidetes / Bacteroidetes - classification / Bacteroidetes - genetics / Bacteroidetes - physiology / Biodiversity / Biology / Biopsy / Carbon sources / Children / Children & youth / Colitis, Ulcerative - microbiology / Colon / Crohn Disease - microbiology / Crohn's Disease / Disease control / Feces / Female / Firmicutes / Gastroenterology / Gene expression / Gene sequencing / Hospitals / Humans / Immunomodulation / Inflammation / Inflammatory bowel disease / Inflammatory bowel diseases / Inflammatory Bowel Diseases - microbiology / Intestinal microflora / Intestine / Intestines - microbiology / Male / Mathematical models / Medical schools / Medicine / Microbiota / Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms) / Microorganisms / Mucin / Mucosa / Multiplexing / Patients / Pediatric diseases / Pediatrics / Polysaccharides / RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics / Rodents / rRNA 16S / Species diversity / Studies / Ulcerative colitis / Womens health / Young Adult / Young adults