title: Imbalances in faecal and duodenal Bifidobacterium species composition in active and non-active coeliac disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gut bifidobacteria are believed to influence immune-related diseases. The objective of this study was to assess the possible relationships between the gut bifidobacteria composition and coeliac disease (CD) in children. A total of 48 faecal samples (30 and 18 samples from active and no active CD patients, respectively) and 33 duodenal biopsy specimens of CD patients (25 and 8 samples from active and non-active CD patients, respectively) were analysed. Samples (30 faecal samples and 8 biopsies) from a control age-matched group of children were also included for comparative purposes. Gut Bifidobacterium genus and species were analyzed by real-time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Active and non-active CD patients showed lower numbers of total Bifidobacterium and B. longum species in faeces and duodenal biopsies than controls, and these differences were particularly remarkable between active CD patients and controls. B. catenulatum prevalence was higher in biopsies of controls than in those of active and non-active CD patients, whereas B. dentium prevalence was higher in faeces of non-active CD patients than in controls. Correlations between levels of Bifidobacterium and B. longum species in faecal and biopsy samples were detected in both CD patients and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reductions in total Bifidobacterium and B. longum populations were associated with both active and non-active CD when compared to controls. These bacterial groups could constitute novel targets for adjuvant dietary therapies although the confirmation of this hypothesis would require further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Ecophysiology and Nutrition Group Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. ciecol@iata.csic.es
authors.forename: Maria Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Collado
authors.forename: Ester
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Donat
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ribes-Koninckx
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Calabuig
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sanz
mesh_terms: D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000382:microbiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D055050:Diet, Gluten-Free; D004386:Duodenum / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric