Intestinal microbiota in adult patients with Short Bowel Syndrome: Preliminary results from a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal bacterial flora plays a central role in human intestinal health and disease. Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS), a clinical condition deriving from extensive bowel resections, influence intestinal microbiota (IM) composition in order to reach a new metabolic balance. Little is known about IM in adult patients after wide intestinal resections. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fecal samples from 12 SBS patients and 16 controls were analyzed in their microbial profile by using both culture-dependent method and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: The two methods revealed significant lower concentrations of Bacteroidetes (p-value = .02), Firmicutes (p-value = .05), Bifidobacterium (p-value < .01), and Methanobrevibacter Smithii (p-value = .04) in SBS patients than controls. CONCLUSIONS: The significantly different fecal microbiome in SBS patients compared with healthy controls could open new perspectives on the care of their intestinal functions.