The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of the human microbiota changes with age

Mariat, Denis; Firmesse, Olivier; Levenez, Florence; Guimarăes, Vd; Sokol, Harry; Doré, Joël; Corthier, Gérard; Furet, J-P

doi:10.1186/1471-2180-9-123

Cited by 1,452 publications

(1,111 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…In CDI the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is believed to create an ecosystem that deviates from the normal predominance of members of the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes to a one dominated by Bacilli and Proteobacteria (Chang et al, 2008;Mariat et al, 2009). The microbiota of CDI patients is characterized by an absence or reduction of Bacteroidetes spp., as observed both by cultivation (Tvede and Rask-Madsen, 1989) as well as with 16S rRNA gene-targeted molecular approaches (Grehan et al, 2010;Khoruts et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reset of a critically disturbed microbial ecosystem: faecal transplant in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection

et al. 2014

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Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) can be effectively treated by infusion of a healthy donor faeces suspension. However, it is unclear what factors determine treatment efficacy. By using a phylogenetic microarray platform, we assessed composition, diversity and dynamics of faecal microbiota before, after and during follow-up of the transplantation from a healthy donor to different patients, to elucidate the mechanism of action of faecal infusion. Global composition and network analysis of the microbiota was performed in faecal samples from nine patients with recurrent CDI. Analyses were performed before and after duodenal donor faeces infusion, and during a follow-up of 10 weeks. The microbiota data were compared with that of the healthy donors. All patients successfully recovered. Their intestinal microbiota changed from a low-diversity diseased state, dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacilli, to a more diverse ecosystem resembling that of healthy donors, dominated by Bacteroidetes and Clostridium groups, including butyrate-producing bacteria. We identified specific multi-species networks and signature microbial groups that were either depleted or restored as a result of the treatment. The changes persisted over time.Comprehensive and deep analyses of the microbiota of patients before and after treatment exposed a therapeutic reset from a diseased state towards a healthy profile. The identification of microbial groups that constitute a niche for C. difficile overgrowth, as well as those driving the reinstallation of a healthy intestinal microbiota, could contribute to the development of biomarkers predicting recurrence and treatment outcome, identifying an optimal microbiota composition that could lead to targeted treatment strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reset of a critically disturbed microbial ecosystem: faecal transplant in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection

et al. 2014

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“…The gut microbiota of preterm infants is less diverse than those of full-term babies (70,73,(82)(83)(84) . There are numerous studies in which the predominance of bifidobacteria in exclusively breast-fed infants has been found (65,66,74,(85)(86)(87)(88) . At age 3-6 weeks, exclusively breast-fed infants harbour higher numbers of bifidobacteria, whereas formula-fed babies have more diverse microbiota, lower numbers of bifidobacteria and higher numbers of Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae, Lactobacillus group, Clostridium difficile and Coriobacteriaceae (65,71,74,87,89,90) .…”

Section: Agementioning

confidence: 99%

Human gut microbiota: does diet matter?

2014

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The human oro-gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a complex system, consisting of oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus, which all together with the accessory digestive organs constitute the digestive system. The function of the digestive system is to break down dietary constituents into small molecules and then absorb these for subsequent distribution throughout the body. Besides digestion and carbohydrate metabolism, the indigenous microbiota has an important influence on host physiological, nutritional and immunological processes, and commensal bacteria are able to modulate the expression of host genes that regulate diverse and fundamental physiological functions. The main external factors that can affect the composition of the microbial community in generally healthy adults include major dietary changes and antibiotic therapy. Changes in some selected bacterial groups have been observed due to controlled changes to the normal diet e.g. high-protein diet, high-fat diet, prebiotics, probiotics and polyphenols. More specifically, changes in the type and quantity of non-digestible carbohydrates in the human diet influence both the metabolic products formed in the lower regions of the GI tract and the bacterial populations detected in faeces. The interactions between dietary factors, gut microbiota and host metabolism are increasingly demonstrated to be important for maintaining homeostasis and health. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise the effect of diet, and especially dietary interventions, on the human gut microbiota. Furthermore, the most important confounding factors (methodologies used and intrinsic human factors) in relation to gut microbiota analyses are elucidated.

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“…In reality our knowledge of the mutating microbiota from adulthood into old age is poorly understood. It seems clear that the adult microbiota remains stable into old age except when confronted with antibiotics or other insults which include disease pathology, dramatic changes in diet or medications used to treat a variety of illnesses (Mariat et al, 2009;O'Toole and Claesson, 2010;Clemente et al, 2012). Differences in the microbiota of elderly subjects across Europe have been reported upon (Mueller et al, 2006).…”

Section: Elderly Microbiotamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the fact that the ageing population is increasing rapidly as people live longer in most developed countries, the state of the gut microbiota and the relationship with common medical conditions seen in the elderly is of major importance (Mariat et al, 2009). In reality our knowledge of the mutating microbiota from adulthood into old age is poorly understood.…”

Section: Elderly Microbiotamentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbes, Immunity, and Behavior: Psychoneuroimmunology Meets the Microbiome

Dinan

Cryan

2016

Neuropsychopharmacol

201

121

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There is now a large volume of evidence to support the view that the immune system is a key communication pathway between the gut and brain, which plays an important role in stress-related psychopathologies and thus provides a potentially fruitful target for psychotropic intervention. The gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem with a diverse range of organisms and a sophisticated genomic structure. Bacteria within the gut are estimated to weigh in excess of 1 kg in the adult human and the microbes within not only produce antimicrobial peptides, short chain fatty acids, and vitamins, but also most of the common neurotransmitters found in the human brain. That the microbial content of the gut plays a key role in immune development is now beyond doubt. Early disruption of the host-microbe interplay can have lifelong consequences, not just in terms of intestinal function but in distal organs including the brain. It is clear that the immune system and nervous system are in continuous communication in order to maintain a state of homeostasis. Significant gaps in knowledge remain about the effect of the gut microbiota in coordinating the immune-nervous systems dialogue. However, studies using germ-free animals, infective models, prebiotics, probiotics, and antibiotics have increased our understanding of the interplay. Early life stress can have a lifelong impact on the microbial content of the intestine and permanently alter immune functioning. That early life stress can also impact adult psychopathology has long been appreciated in psychiatry. The challenge now is to fully decipher the molecular mechanisms that link the gut microbiota, immune, and central nervous systems in a network of communication that impacts behavior patterns and psychopathology, to eventually translate these findings to the human situation both in health and disease. Even at this juncture, there is evidence to pinpoint key sites of communication where gut microbial interventions either with drugs or diet or perhaps fecal microbiota transplantation may positively impact mental health.

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The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of the human microbiota changes with age

Cited by 1,452 publications

References 35 publications

Reset of a critically disturbed microbial ecosystem: faecal transplant in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection

Reset of a critically disturbed microbial ecosystem: faecal transplant in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection

Human gut microbiota: does diet matter?

Microbes, Immunity, and Behavior: Psychoneuroimmunology Meets the Microbiome

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