The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio of the human microbiota changes with age

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In humans, the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of host health by providing energy, nutrients, and immunological protection. Applying current molecular methods is necessary to surmount the limitations of classical culturing techniques in order to obtain an accurate description of the microbiota composition.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report on the comparative assessment of human fecal microbiota from three age-groups: infants, adults and the elderly. We demonstrate that the human intestinal microbiota undergoes maturation from birth to adulthood and is further altered with ageing. The counts of major bacterial groups <it>Clostridium leptum, Clostridium coccoides</it>, <it>Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus </it>and <it>Escherichia coli </it>were assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR). By comparing species diversity profiles, we observed age-related changes in the human fecal microbiota. The microbiota of infants was generally characterized by low levels of total bacteria. <it>C. leptum </it>and <it>C. coccoides </it>species were highly represented in the microbiota of infants, while elderly subjects exhibited high levels of <it>E. coli </it>and <it>Bacteroidetes</it>. We observed that the ratio of <it>Firmicutes </it>to <it>Bacteroidetes </it>evolves during different life stages. For infants, adults and elderly individuals we measured ratios of 0.4, 10.9 and 0.6, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this work we have confirmed that qPCR is a powerful technique in studying the diverse and complex fecal microbiota. Our work demonstrates that the fecal microbiota composition evolves throughout life, from early childhood to old age.</p

Correlation between fibronectin binding protein A expression level at the surface of recombinant lactococcus lactis and plasmid transfer in vitro and in vivo

Background: Fibronectin Binding Protein A (FnBPA) is an invasin from Staphylococcus aureus that allows this pathogen to internalize into eukaryote cells. It was previously demonstrated that recombinant Lactococcus lactis expressing FnBPA were invasive and able to transfer a plasmid to eukaryotic cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the invasivity of recombinant strains of Lactococcus lactis that express FnBPA under the control of its constitutive promoter or driven by the strong nisin inducible expression system (NICE) were studied.Results: It was demonstrated that the nisA promoter allows an increase of FnBPA expression on the surface of Lactococcus lactis surface, as shown by flow cytometry, which subsequently enhanced internalization and plasmid transfer properties in vitro in Caco2 cells and Bone Marrow Dendritic Cells. In vivo, the use of nisA promoter increase the plasmid transfer in cells of both the small and large intestine of mice.Conclusion: FnBPA expression at the surface of recombinant L. lactis is positively correlated to internalization and DNA transfer properties. The recombinant strains of L. lactis that expresses FnBPA under the control of the nisin inducible expression system could thus be considered as an improved tool in the field of DNA transfer.Fil: Almeida, Juliana F.. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Institut des sciences et industries du vivant et de l; FranciaFil: Mariat, Denis. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Institut des sciences et industries du vivant et de l; FranciaFil: Azevedo, Vasco. Universidade Federal Do Minas Gerais;Fil: Miyoshi, Anderson. Universidade Federal Do Minas Gerais;Fil: de Moreno, Maria Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: del Carmen, Silvina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Rebeca. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Institut des sciences et industries du vivant et de l; FranciaFil: Langella, Philippe. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Institut des sciences et industries du vivant et de l; FranciaFil: Leblanc, Jean Guy Joseph. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Chatel, Jean Marc. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; Francia. Institut des sciences et industries du vivant et de l; Franci

Mammite à « Cryptococcus neoformans »

Ségretain G., Verge Jean, Drieux Henri, Mariat F., Paraf Alain, Labie C., Théron B. Mammite à «Cryptococcus neoformans». In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 109 n°1, 1956. pp. 33-41

Microbial diversity and community composition of caecal microbiota in commercial and indigenous Indian chickens determined using 16s rDNA amplicon sequencing

Different alpha diversity indices for each sample of university farm data estimated using QIIME for primer pair P2 data. OTUs were clustered at > 97% similarity. (XLSX 12 kb

An in vitro approach to study effects of prebiotics and probiotics on the faecal microbiota and selected immune parameters relevant to the elderly

The aging process leads to alterations of gut microbiota and modifications to the immune response, such changes may be associated with increased disease risk. Prebiotics and probiotics can modulate microbiome changes induced by aging; however, their effects have not been directly compared. The aim of this study was to use anaerobic batch culture fermenters to assess the impact of various fermentable carbohydrates and microorganisms on the gut microbiota and selected immune markers. Elderly volunteers were used as donors for these experiments to enable relevance to an aging population. The impact of fermentation supernatants on immune markers relevant to the elderly were assessed in vitro. Levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α in peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture supernatants were measured using flow cytometry. Trans-galactooligosaccharides (B-GOS) and inulin both stimulated bifidobacteria compared to other treatments (p<0.05). Fermentation supernatants taken from faecal batch cultures supplemented with B-GOS, inulin, B. bifidum, L. acidophilus and Ba. coagulans inhibited LPS induced TNF-α (p<0.05). IL-10 production, induced by LPS, was enhanced by fermentation supernatants from faecal batch cultures supplemented with B-GOS, inulin, B. bifidum, L. acidophilus, Ba. coagulans and Bac. thetaiotaomicron (p<0.05). To conclude, prebiotics and probiotics could lead to potentially beneficial effects to host health by targeting specific bacterial groups, increasing saccharolytic fermentation and decreasing inflammation associated with aging. Compared to probiotics, prebiotics led to greater microbiota modulation at the genus level within the fermenters

Microbial−mammalian cometabolites dominate the age-associated urinary metabolic phenotype in Taiwanese and American populations

Understanding the metabolic processes associated with aging is key to developing effective management and treatment strategies for age-related diseases. We investigated the metabolic profiles associated with age in a Taiwanese and an American population. 1H NMR spectral profiles were generated for urine specimens collected from the Taiwanese Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS; n = 857; age 54–91 years) and the Mid-Life in the USA study (MIDUS II; n = 1148; age 35–86 years). Multivariate and univariate linear projection methods revealed some common age-related characteristics in urinary metabolite profiles in the American and Taiwanese populations, as well as some distinctive features. In both cases, two metabolites—4-cresyl sulfate (4CS) and phenylacetylglutamine (PAG)—were positively associated with age. In addition, creatine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) were negatively correlated with age in both populations (p < 4 × 10–6). These age-associated gradients in creatine and HMB reflect decreasing muscle mass with age. The systematic increase in PAG and 4CS was confirmed using ultraperformance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS). Both are products of concerted microbial–mammalian host cometabolism and indicate an age-related association with the balance of host–microbiome metabolism

Advancing Transplantation:New Questions, New Possibilities in Kidney and Liver Transplantation

Disclosure and contributions: This supplement collects a number of the sessions from the meeting 'Advancing Transplantation: New Questions, New Possibilities'. The meeting was sponsored by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd; the agenda was developed by Astellas in collaboration with the meeting's scientific committee: J Wadström, BG Ericzon, WO Bechstein, D Serón and PF Halloran. The event was approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom for 12 category 1 (external) CPD credits. The scientific committee and faculty developed their own content for the meeting with editorial support from iS Health Group. Editorial support for the meeting was funded by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. Previously unpublished data that could not be included, due to existing embargo policies or to protect intellectual property, have been excluded from this report. The unpublished data in this report were included at the discretion of the authors as personal communications. Based on the presentations given at the meeting and under the direction of the authors, iS LifeScience provided editorial support throughout the development of this supplement. Editorial support was funded by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. A.L., in his role as the Guest Editor, reviewed this supplement and advised on the content throughout the development process. The authors had final authority over the editorial content and approved the final version of this supplement before submission. Astellas Pharma and associated companies developed, manufacture and supply tacrolimus (tacrolimus hard capsules (Prograf), tacrolimus prolonged-release hard capsules (Advagraf)). Prescribing information and adverse event reporting information can be found on pages S40-S41. J.W. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. B-G.E reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; honoraria and consultancy fees from Astellas, Pfizer and Novartis and clinical trial support from Novartis and Astellas, outside of the submitted work. P.H. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work shares in TSI, a university company with an interest in molecular diagnostics. W.B. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. G.O. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work D.S. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work J.G. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. A.L. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. D.K. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work CM. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. M.C. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. A.J. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, Opsona Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Bayer and Pfizer, outside the submitted work. L.G. reports personal fees from Astellas during the conduct of the study for acting as a conference speaker; personal fees from Astellas, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Pfizer, personal fees from Roche, outside the submitted work. B.F. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, grants from BMS, grants and consulting fees from Pharmalink, and lecturing fees from Sandoz, outside of the submitted work. J.O.G. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. J.P. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. J.O.L. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, personal fees from Novartis, and grants from Fisher Scientific, outside of the submitted work. V.A. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. P.T. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. U.B. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support from and personal fees from Astellas, outside the submitted work. J.N. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, and personal fees from Novartis, outside of the submitted work; employment as a consultant physician at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. A.S.-G. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. E.G. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support from Astellas, and personal fees from Astellas, Pfizer and Novartis, outside the submitted work. M.M. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas, during the development of this supplement; non-financial support and personal fees from Astellas, outside of the submitted work. M.G. reports nonfinancial support from Astellas during the development of this supplement; nonfinancial support from Astellas and personal fees from Astellas, outside the submitted wor

Intestinal microbiota in human health and disease: the impact of probiotics

The complex communities of microorganisms that colonise the human gastrointestinal tract play an important role in human health. The development of culture-independent molecular techniques has provided new insights in the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota. Here, we summarise the present state of the art on the intestinal microbiota with specific attention for the application of high-throughput functional microbiomic approaches to determine the contribution of the intestinal microbiota to human health. Moreover, we review the association between dysbiosis of the microbiota and both intestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. Finally, we discuss the potential of probiotic microorganism to modulate the intestinal microbiota and thereby contribute to health and well-being. The effects of probiotic consumption on the intestinal microbiota are addressed, as well as the development of tailor-made probiotics designed for specific aberrations that are associated with microbial dysbiosis