GI highlights from the literature

Basic scienceTemporal fluctuations in the microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease

Schirmer M, Denson L, Vlamakis H et al. Compositional and temporal changes in the gut microbiome of pediatric ulcerative colitis patients are linked to disease course. Cell Host Microbe 2018; 24:600–610.

Investigations into the molecular pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) indicate a complex interplay between host genetics, mucosal immune responses and environmental factors including the gut microbiome. Microbial diversity is consistently reduced in IBD. There is a loss of bacteria that contribute to the production of beneficial metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids. This, in turn, alters the induction of a robust immune response. The IBD microbiome fluctuates more than the healthy microbiome, but little is known about how this fluctuation is affected by treatment and impacts disease progression. To address this, Schirmer et al tracked the intestinal microbiome in 405 treatment-naïve paediatric ulcerative colitis patients and characterised changes...

https://ift.tt/2EkEToO