Intestinal Microbiota in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

PLoS ONE, 2016 · DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145878 · Published: January 11, 2016

Simple Explanation

The human gut is full of bacteria that affect our health. In people with spinal cord injuries (SCI), bowel function is often disrupted. This study looked at the types of bacteria in the guts of SCI patients to see if they were different from healthy people. The study found that certain types of bacteria that produce butyrate, a substance that helps reduce inflammation, were less common in SCI patients. This difference could potentially impact the health of SCI patients. This research suggests that changes in gut bacteria might play a role in some of the health problems that SCI patients experience and could open new avenues for treatment.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

30 SCI patients (15 UMN, 15 LMN) and 10 healthy controls

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Gut microbiota of all participants were dominated by Blautia, Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium and Ruminococcus.
2
Roseburia, Pseudobutyrivibrio, Dialister, Marvinbryantia and Megamonas appeared as the genera that were statistically different between groups.
3
Butyrate-producing members are specifically reduced in SCI patients when compared to healthy subjects.

Research Summary

This study investigated the gut microbiota composition in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with different types of bowel dysfunction (UMN and LMN) compared to healthy controls using 16S rRNA sequencing. The study found that certain butyrate-producing bacteria were significantly reduced in SCI patients compared to healthy individuals, suggesting a potential link between altered gut microbiota and neuroinflammation in SCI. The researchers suggest that the observed dysbiosis in gut microbiome following SCI could initiate future studies to address unresolved issues such as how the microbiome of patients with SCI affects bidirectional microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Practical Implications

Potential Therapeutic Targets

The identification of specific bacterial genera that are reduced in SCI patients, particularly butyrate-producing bacteria, opens avenues for targeted interventions such as probiotics or dietary modifications to restore gut microbiota balance.

Understanding Neuroinflammation

The finding that butyrate-producing bacteria are reduced in SCI patients suggests a potential link between gut dysbiosis and neuroinflammation, which could contribute to secondary tissue damage and axonal retraction following spinal cord injury.

Impact on Immune Function

The study highlights the potential impact of altered gut microbiome on immune dysfunction in SCI patients, which could contribute to increased infection tendency. Further research is needed to investigate how microbiome alters immune functions in SCI.

Study Limitations

1
The study acknowledges that whether a longer-term dietary recall would be necessary to account for individual diet-associated flora differences could not be determined and remains as a major weakness.
2
The study only characterized gut microbiome and did not investigate its impact on the immune system.
3
Sample size could be considered a limitation.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Spinal Cord Injury