Intestinal microbiota in adult patients with Short Bowel Syndrome: Preliminary results from a pilot study

Introduction: Intestinal bacterial flora plays a central role in human intestinal health and disease. Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS), a clinical condition deriving from extensive bowel resections, influence intestinal microbiota (IM) composition in order to reach a new metabolic balance. Little is known about IM in adult patients after wide intestinal resections. Material and methods: Fecal samples from 12 SBS patients and 16 controls were analyzed in their microbial profile by using both culture-dependent method and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results: The two methods revealed significant lower concentrations of Bacteroidetes (p-value = .02), Firmicutes (p-value = .05), Bifidobacterium (p-value < .01), and Methanobrevibacter Smithii (p-value =.04) in SBS patients than controls. Conclusions: The significantly different fecal microbiome in SBS patients compared with healthy controls could open new perspectives on the care of their intestinal functions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.