Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis of the Gut Microbiota Profiles of Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background/Aim: We analyzed the fecal microbiota profiles of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Method: Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed in 10 fecal samples from Crohn's disease (CD), 14 samples from ulcerative colitis (UC) and 27 samples from healthy individuals. The bacterial diversity was evaluated by the Shannon diversity index. Result: In CD patients, a setting of similarity generated three major clusters. The majority of CD patients were classified into CD clusters I and II (9 out of 10), but the majority of healthy individuals (21 of 27) were classified into CD cluster III. In UC patients, a setting of similarity also generated three major UC clusters, but each cluster was not characteristic for UC patients or healthy individuals. The changes in simulated bacterial composition indicated that the class Clostridia, including the genus Faecalibacterium, was significantly decreased in CD patients as compared to UC patients and/or healthy individuals. The genus Bacteroides was also decreased as compared to healthy individuals. The bacterial diversity measured by the Shannon diversity index was significantly reduced in CD patients as compared to healthy individuals. Conclusion: The gut microbiota profile of pediatric CD patients was different from that of healthy children. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel