Tool for screening the risk of dysbiosis and characterizing the healthy and diseased intestinal microbiota
Bacteria of the gut microbiota, when in symbiosis with the human organism, contribute to the health condition. The dynamic balance between commensal, symbiotic and enteropathogenic bacteria in the intestine is observed in healthy individuals and seems essential for maintaining their homeostasis. On the other hand, some of the human health disorders and diseases are accompanied by changes in the profile of the resident intestinal microbiota (dysbiosis), such as obesity, diabetes, intestinal diseases, asthma, autism and cancer. Dysbiosis can sometimes precede the clinical manifestations of diseases. Intestinal dysbiosis has an impact on the metabolism of intestinal substrates and can modify bacterial metabolism. Knowing the composition and signatures of the intestinal microbiota (IM) to help in the early diagnosis, prevention and management of these changes in health status is of great interest. The analysis of the MI profile involves genetic sequencing methods, based on molecular biology, which imply high technology, complexity and cost, such as the sequencing of the 16SrRNA gene or the complete genetic sequencing. Considering the information previously presented, it is of interest to develop accessible tools capable of estimating the risk of intestinal dysbiosis to guide and delimit the population of individuals who should undergo the genetic sequencing test of the microbiota. Recently, a Brazilian questionnaire for screening intestinal dysbiosis (ID) became available. This tool, called DYS, has 17 questions that cover several topics potentially associated with the risk of developing ID. The present study intends to evaluate the prevalence of the risk of dysbiosis in a population of healthy and unhealthy individuals by applying the DYS questionnaire. It also intends, in a subpopulation of healthy and unhealthy individuals, to collect fecal samples for genetic sequencing by 16SrRNA. Finally, we intend to correlate the findings of the DYS tool with the results of the genetic sequencing of intestinal microbiota.