Dysbiosis in metabolic genes of the gut microbiomes of patients with a Pouch
Pouchitis develops in former patients with UC after total proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis ("pouch surgery"), and is characterized by inflammation of the previously normal small intestine comprising the pouch. The extent to which microbial dysbiosis in pouchitis resembles that of CD or UC has not been investigated in depth and the pathogenesis of pouchitis largely remains unknown.Here we analyzed the shotgun metagenomes of patients with a pouch, IBD and healthy subjects with the following aims: 1) To identify microbial signatures (species and functional genes) that might be common to disease phenotypes and thus to place patients with a pouch in the context of "primary" IBD. 2) To examine several key bacterial functions that may underlie the pathogenesis of pouchitis.