Title |
Colonization with the enteric protozoa Blastocystis is associated with increased diversity of human gut bacterial microbiota
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Published in |
Scientific Reports, May 2016
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DOI | 10.1038/srep25255 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Christophe Audebert, Gaël Even, Amandine Cian, Alexandre Loywick, Sophie Merlin, Eric Viscogliosi, Magali Chabé |
Abstract |
Alterations in the composition of commensal bacterial populations, a phenomenon known as dysbiosis, are linked to multiple gastrointestinal disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, or to infections by diverse enteric pathogens. Blastocystis is one of the most common single-celled eukaryotes detected in human faecal samples. However, the clinical significance of this widespread colonization remains unclear, and its pathogenic potential is controversial. To address the issue of Blastocystis pathogenicity, we investigated the impact of colonization by this protist on the composition of the human gut microbiota. For that purpose, we conducted a cross-sectional study including 48 Blastocystis-colonized patients and 48 Blastocystis-free subjects and performed an Ion Torrent 16S rDNA gene sequencing to decipher the Blastocystis-associated gut microbiota. Here, we report a higher bacterial diversity in faecal microbiota of Blastocystis colonized patients, a higher abundance of Clostridia as well as a lower abundance of Enterobacteriaceae. Our results contribute to suggesting that Blastocystis colonization is usually associated with a healthy gut microbiota, rather than with gut dysbiosis generally observed in metabolic or infectious inflammatory diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
France | 2 | 13% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 13% |
Denmark | 2 | 13% |
United States | 1 | 6% |
Austria | 1 | 6% |
Unknown | 8 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 12 | 75% |
Scientists | 2 | 13% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 6% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 6% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Belgium | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 279 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 56 | 20% |
Student > Master | 41 | 15% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 38 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 34 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 11 | 4% |
Other | 36 | 13% |
Unknown | 64 | 23% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 53 | 19% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 45 | 16% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 44 | 16% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 32 | 11% |
Engineering | 8 | 3% |
Other | 25 | 9% |
Unknown | 73 | 26% |