Bacteriome profiling using 16S rDNA in irritable bowel syndrome
Faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome modulates the gut microbiome but lacks clinical outcomes: bacteriome profiling of samples from a randomized, double-blind cross-over clinical trial.Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is currently being explored in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Here, we evaluated the effect of multi-donor mixed FMT in IBS treatment. This was a three-group, double-blind, randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled clinical trial of two pairs of gut microbiota transplantation in patients with diarrheal or mixed subtypes of IBS. The primary outcome was a change in IBS-symptom severity score (IBS-SSS) four weeks after FMT. Secondary outcomes were IBS-SSS at two weeks after the intervention and at 32 weeks compared with placebo, and changes in the number of loose stools, Bristol stool scale, abdominal pain and bloating, anthropometric parameters, and the gut microbiota composition.A decreasing trend in mean IBS-SSS was observed across all groups four weeks after intervention, with no significant difference between the effect of live FMT and placebo.This submission contains fastq files from 16S rDNA (V3-V4) sequencing of faecal samples collected at multiple time points during the intervention. Live FMT significantly increased gut microbiome richness and diversity compared to placebo, suggesting engraftment of donor-derived taxa. This was further supported by a significant shift in participants' bacteriome profiles toward the composition of the transferred material, with increased community similarity after treatment.The findings suggest that while FMT effectively reshapes the gut microbiome, its clinical relevance in IBS treatment remains questionable.