title: Structural alterations of faecal and mucosa-associated bacterial communities in irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder in western countries. Previous studies on IBS, mostly based on faecal samples, suggest alterations in the intestinal microbiota. However, no consensus has been reached regarding the association between specific bacteria and IBS. We explore the alterations of intestinal bacterial communities in IBS using massive sequencing of amplified 16S rRNA genes. Mucosal biopsies of the ascending and descending colon and faeces from 16 IBS patients and 9 healthy controls were analysed. Strong inter-individual variation was observed in the composition of the bacterial communities in both patients and controls. These communities showed less diversity in IBS cases. There were larger differences in the microbiota composition between biopsies and faeces than between patients and controls. We found a few over-represented and under-represented taxa in IBS cases with respect to controls. The detected alterations varied by site, with no changes being consistent across sample types.
authors.affiliation: Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública (CSISP), Avenida de Cataluña 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain. Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Universitat de València, Apartado Postal 22085, 46071 Valencia, Spain. CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBEResp), Spain. School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine and Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training (MHIRT), Irvine, California, USA. Servicio de Medicina Digestiva, Hospital Universitario La Fe, Avenida de Campanar 21, 46009 Valencia, Spain. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBER-EHD), Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Durbán
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Abellán
authors.forename: Nuria
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Hernández
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Salgado
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garrigues
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latorre
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moya