title: The long-term stability of the human gut microbiota.
abstract: A low-error 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing method, in combination with whole-genome sequencing of >500 cultured isolates, was used to characterize bacterial strain composition in the fecal microbiota of 37 U.S. adults sampled for up to 5 years. Microbiota stability followed a power-law function, which when extrapolated suggests that most strains in an individual are residents for decades. Shared strains were recovered from family members but not from unrelated individuals. Sampling of individuals who consumed a monotonous liquid diet for up to 32 weeks indicated that changes in strain composition were better predicted by changes in weight than by differences in sampling interval. This combination of stability and responsiveness to physiologic change confirms the potential of the gut microbiota as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremiah J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Faith
authors.forename: Janaki L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Guruge
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Charbonneau
authors.forename: Sathish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seedorf
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Jose C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Clemente
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.forename: Rudolph L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Leibel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: Jeffrey I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001823:Body Composition; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D005190:Family; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054892:Metagenome; D008954:Models, Biological; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013997:Time Factors; D015431:Weight Loss; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S