Dysbiosis in the inflamed intestine: Chance favors the prepared microbe

Sebastian E. Winter, Andreas J. Bäumler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

134 Scopus citations

Abstract

The bacterial microbiota of the human large bowel is a complex ecosystem consisting of several hundred, mostly anaerobic, species. To maintain colonization of the gut lumen and maximize growth in the presence of nutritional competitors, highly diverse metabolic pathways have evolved, with each microbe utilizing a different "winning strategy" for nutrient acquisition and utilization. Conditions and diseases leading to intestinal inflammation are accompanied by a severe disruption the microbiota composition characterized by an expansion of facultative anaerobic Enterobacteriaceae. Here, we review evidence that the local inflammatory response creates a unique nutritional environment that is conducive to a bloom of bacterial species whose genomes encode the capability of utilizing inflammationderived nutrients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)71-73
Number of pages3
JournalGut Microbes
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Keywords

  • Dysbiosis
  • Enteric pathogens
  • Enterobacteriaceae
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Necrotizing enterocolitis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Microbiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Microbiology (medical)
  • Infectious Diseases

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