title: Decreased diversity of the fecal Microbiome in recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.
abstract: Antibiotic-associated diarrhea due to Clostridium difficile (CDAD) is thought to reflect colonization of a disrupted microbial community by the pathogen. We profiled the fecal microbiota of patients with CDAD (both initial and recurrent episodes) by culture-independent phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA-encoding gene sequences. Compared with those from control subjects and patients with an initial episode, the fecal communities in patients with recurrent CDAD were highly variable in bacterial composition and were characterized by markedly decreased diversity. Preservation and restoration of the microbial diversity could represent novel strategies for prevention and treatment of recurrent CDAD, which is often recalcitrant to existing therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Ju Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Dionysios A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Antonopoulos
authors.forename: Apoorv
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tonelli
authors.forename: Walid T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Khalife
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Vincent B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003967:Diarrhea; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012008:Recurrence; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents