Gleaning Insights from Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Probiotic Studies for the Rational Design of Combination Microbial Therapies

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lauren E. Hudson, Emory University; Sarah E. Anderson, Emory University; Anita Corbett, Emory University; Tracey Lamb, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-01-01
• Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00049-16
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Clinical Microbiology Reviews
• ISSN: 0893-8512
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 191
• End Page: 231
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health through an NIH Directors New Innovators Award (AI112242) to T.J.L. and a training grant (AI106699) to S.E.A.
• Keywords: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL; ulcerative colitis; ANTIBIOTIC-ASSOCIATED DIARRHEA; INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL-CELLS; Clostridium difficile; Microbiology; INFLAMMATORY-BOWEL-DISEASE; fecal microbiota transplantation; Science & Technology; ACTIVE ULCERATIVE-COLITIS; TNBS-INDUCED COLITIS; microbiota; SACCHAROMYCES-BOULARDII INTERFERES; probiotics; PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; HUMAN DENDRITIC CELLS; CLOSTRIDIUM-DIFFICILE INFECTION
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Microbiology

Abstract

Beneficial microorganisms hold promise for the treatment of numerous gastrointestinal diseases. The transfer of whole microbiota via fecal transplantation has already been shown to ameliorate the severity of diseases such as Clostridium difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and others. However, the exact mechanisms of fecal microbiota transplant efficacy and the particular strains conferring this benefit are still unclear. Rationally designed combinations of microbial preparations may enable more efficient and effective treatment approaches tailored to particular diseases. Here we use an infectious disease, C. difficile infection, and an inflammatory disorder, the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis, as examples to facilitate the discussion of how microbial therapy might be rationally designed for specific gastrointestinal diseases. Fecal microbiota transplantation has already shown some efficacy in the treatment of both these disorders; detailed comparisons of studies evaluating commensal and probiotic organisms in the context of these disparate gastrointestinal diseases may shed light on potential protective mechanisms and elucidate how future microbial therapies can be tailored to particular diseases.