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Diversity of faecal oxalate‐degrading bacteria in black and white South African study groups: insights into understanding the rarity of urolithiasis in the black group
Author(s) -
Magwira C.A.,
Kullin B.,
Lewandowski S.,
Rodgers A.,
Reid S.J.,
Abratt V.R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2012.05346.x
Subject(s) - biology , bifidobacterium , lactobacillus , temperature gradient gel electrophoresis , calcium oxalate , population , oxalate , relative species abundance , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , abundance (ecology) , zoology , ecology , 16s ribosomal rna , chemistry , biochemistry , medicine , genetics , urine , environmental health , organic chemistry
Aim To examine whether enhanced diversity or numbers of oxalate‐degrading bacteria in the gastrointestinal tracts of black S outh A fricans play a role in determining the rarity of urolithiasis in this group. Methods and Results Fresh faecal samples collected from healthy black and white S outh A frican male volunteers were analysed in terms of bacterial oxalate‐degrading activity, bacterial diversity and relative species abundance. Varied bacterial populations prepared from samples from the low‐risk black group showed a significantly higher level of oxalate degradation. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses of L actobacillus and related spp. and B ifidobacterium spp. 16 S r RNA PCR products revealed a significantly higher faecal L actobacillus diversity for the low‐risk black group relative to the higher‐risk white group. Quantitative real‐time PCR experiments did not show any significant differences between the study groups for L actobacillus and related spp.. However, B ifidobacterium spp. were present at a significantly higher relative abundance in the black group. Oxalobacter formigenes was present only at very low levels in either group. Conclusions The low abundance of O . formigenes and increased diversity and abundance of oxalate‐degrading L actobacillus and B ifidobacterium spp. in the black S outh A frican population suggest that these strains rather than O . formigenes may protect this group against calcium oxalate kidney stone disease. Significance and Impact of the Study The S outh A frican black population harbours a pool of potential oxalate‐degrading lactic acid bacteria, which is more abundant and diverse than that of white S outh A fricans. This may be useful in developing probiotics for calcium oxalate kidney stone prophylaxis.