PCR detection of segmented filamentous bacteria in the terminal ileum of patients with ulcerative colitis

• Published in: BMJ open gastroenterology Vol. 4; no. 1; p. e000172
• Main Authors: Finotti, Alessia, Gasparello, Jessica, Lampronti, Ilaria, Cosenza, Lucia Carmela, Maconi, Giovanni, Matarese, Vincenzo, Gentili, Valentina, Di Luca, Dario, Gambari, Roberto, Caselli, Michele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group LTD 2017; BMJ Publishing Group
• Subjects: Age; Animals; Antibiotics; Bacteria; Biopsy; Clinical medicine; Colon; Genomes; Gram-positive bacteria; Immune system; Inflammatory bowel disease; Medical diagnosis; Microscopy; Original Research; Ostomy; Pathogenesis; Patients; Poultry; Studies; Systematic review; Trout; Weaning; segmented filamentous bacteria; polymerase-chain reaction; diagnosis; ulcerative colitis; leum biopsy
• ISSN: 2054-4774; 2054-4774
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjgast-2017-000172

ObjectivesSegmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) have been detected in a wide range of different animal. Recently, the presence of SFB-like bacteria was shown in biopsies of the terminal ileum and ileocecal valve of both patients with ulcerative colitis and control subjects. The aim of this study was to verify whether PCR methods could be used for the detection of SFB in biopsy of patients with ulcerative colitis and its relationships with the disease stage.MethodsPCR methods were used to identify SFB in biopsies from the terminal ileum of patients with ulcerative colitis, showing that this approach represents a useful tool for the detection of SFB presence and analysis of the bacterial load.ResultsOur analysis detected SFB in all faecal samples of children at the time of weaning, and also show that putative SFB sequences are present in both patients with ulcerative colitis and control subjects. Results obtained using real-time quantitative PCR analysis confirm the presence of putative SFB sequences in samples from the terminal ileum of patients with ulcerative colitis and in control subjects.ConclusionsThe presence of putative SFB sequence in both patients with ulcerative colitis and control subject suggests that SFB cannot be considered as being uniquely associated with the disease. The second conclusion is that among the patients with ulcerative colitis, a tendency does exist for active disease samples to show higher SFB load, opening new perspectives about possible identification and pharmacological manipulation of SFB-mediated processes for new therapeutic strategy.