title: Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum in inflammatory bowel disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many species within the phylum Firmicutes are thought to exert anti-inflammatory effects. We quantified bacteria belonging to the genus Butyricicoccus in stools of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). We evaluated the effect of Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum in a rat colitis model and analysed the ability to prevent cytokine-induced increases in epithelial permeability.
  
  
  METHODS
  A genus-specific quantitative PCR was used for quantification of Butyricicoccus in stools from patients with UC or CD and healthy subjects. The effect of B pullicaecorum on trinitrobenzenesulfonic (TNBS)-induced colitis was assessed and the effect of B pullicaecorum culture supernatant on epithelial barrier function was investigated in vitro.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average number of Butyricicoccus in stools from patients with UC and CD in active (UC: 8.61 log10/g stool; CD: 6.58 log10/g stool) and remission phase (UC: 8.69 log10/g stool; CD: 8.38 log10/g stool) was significantly lower compared with healthy subjects (9.32 log10/g stool) and correlated with disease activity in CD. Oral administration of B pullicaecorum resulted in a significant protective effect based on macroscopic and histological criteria and decreased intestinal myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-12 levels. Supernatant of B pullicaecorum prevented the loss of transepithelial resistance (TER) and the increase in IL-8 secretion induced by TNFα and interferon γ (IFN gamma) in a Caco-2 cell model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have lower numbers of Butyricicoccus bacteria in their stools. Administration of B pullicaecorum attenuates TNBS-induced colitis in rats and supernatant of B pullicaecorum cultures strengthens the epithelial barrier function by increasing the TER.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, , Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors.forename: Venessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eeckhaut
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Machiels
authors.forename: Clémentine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perrier
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flahou
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steppe
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haesebrouck
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sas
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ducatelle
authors.forename: Severine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vermeire
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Immerseel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D058491:Bacterial Load; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016937:Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Rods / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010539:Permeability; D019936:Probiotics / Q000494:pharmacology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S