Open AccessDiversity and distribution of sulphate‐reducing bacteria in human faeces from healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Author(s) -
Jia Wenjing,
Whitehead Rebekah N.,
Griffiths Lesley,
Dawson Claire,
Bai Hao,
Waring Rosemary H.,
Ramsden David B.,
Hunter John O.,
Cauchi Michael,
Bessant Conrad,
Fowler Dawn P.,
Walton Christopher,
Turner Claire,
Cole Jeffrey A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2012.00935.x
Subject(s) - feces , bacteria , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , ulcerative colitis , desulfovibrio , inflammatory bowel disease , population , sulfate reducing bacteria , irritable bowel syndrome , polymerase chain reaction , disease , veterinary medicine , gastroenterology , medicine , gene , genetics , environmental health
Abstract The relative abundance of different groups of sulphate‐reducing bacteria ( SRB ) in faecal DNA collected before and after therapy from patients suffering from C rohn's disease ( CD ), irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) or ulcerative colitis ( UC ) has been compared with that from healthy controls. Growth tests revealed that SRB were not more abundant in samples from patients with CD before treatment than in the healthy control group. For most of the 128 samples available, these preliminary results were confirmed using degenerate PCR primers that amplify the dsrAB gene. However, some samples from patients with CD before treatment contained a growth inhibitor that was absent from IBS or UC samples. In‐depth sequencing of PCR ‐generated dsrB fragments revealed that the diversity detected was surprisingly low, with only eight strains of SRB and the sulphite‐reducing bacterium, B ilophila wadsworthia , detected above the 0.1% threshold. The proportion of the two major species detected, B . wadsworthia and D esulfovibrio piger , was as high as 93.5% of the total SRB population in the healthy control group and lower in all patient groups. Four previously undescribed species were found: it is impossible to predict whether they are sulphate or sulphite‐reducing bacteria.