ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2010) — Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal functional disorder that can greatly affect the patient's well being. Multiple interacting mechanisms, including alterations in the intestinal microbiota, are suspected to lie behind IBS aetiology.

A research article to be published on December 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team from Finland quantified fourteen bacterial phylotypes which corresponded with bacterial species of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from faecal samples of IBS patients and healthy controls. In their study, assays for analyzing phylotype specific bacterial alterations in association to IBS were developed and applied.

They found a phylotype with 85% similarity to C. thermosuccinogenes was quantified in significantly different quantities among the diarrhoea-predominant (IBS-D) and control subjects, IBS-D and mixed symptom-subtype (IBS-M) subjects. A phylotype with 94% similarity to R. torques was more prevalent in IBS-D patients' intestinal microbiota than in that of control subjects. A phylotype with 93% similarity to R. torques was associated with control samples when compared with IBS-M. Additionally, a R. bromii-like phylotype was associated with constipation-predominant (IBS-C) patients in comparison to control subjects.

The researchers drew a conclusion that the detected altering phylotypes might be useful as targets in diagnostic, therapeutic and host-microbe interaction studies.

Recommend this story on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:

Other bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by World Journal of Gastroenterology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

1. Lyra A, Rinttilä T, Nikkilä J, Krogius-Kurikka L, Kajander K, Malinen E, Mättö J, Mäkelä L, Palva A. Diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome distinguishable by 16S rRNA gene phylotype quantification. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2009; 15 (47): 5936 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.15.5936

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Related Stories

Proof That a Gut-Wrenching Complaint -- Irritable Bowel Syndrome -- Is Not in Your Head (Aug. 20, 2010) — Irritable bowel syndrome makes life miserable for those affected, an estimated ten percent or more of the population. What further irritates many sufferers is that they often are labeled as ...  > read more

How to Execute Dietary Management in Eating Disorder Patients (Nov. 18, 2009) — Substances that provoke gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with eating disorders (ED) can impact negatively on their nutritional rehabilitation. An Australian research group has found that ...  > read more

Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome Not More Likely to Develop Polyps, Colon Cancer (Mar. 22, 2010) — Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to a new ...  > read more

Allergic Disease Linked To Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Jan. 31, 2008) — Adults with allergy symptoms report a high incidence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, suggesting a link between atopic disorders and IBS according to a new study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily