Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
05:41
Therapeutic Evaluation of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in an Interleukin 10-Deficient Mouse Model
Published on: April 6, 2022
The microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease in different age groups
Salvatore Cucchiara1, Valerio Iebba, Maria Pia Conte
1Pediatric Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Sapienza University of Rome, IT-00161 Rome, Italy. salvatore.cucchiara@uniroma1.it
Digestive Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 30, 2009
Summary
Gut microbiota shifts are linked to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) across ages. IBD patients show altered bacterial composition, reduced diversity, and changes in specific bacterial groups compared to healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
- Human Health
Background:
- The gut microbiota's role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is increasingly studied, suggesting dysbiosis, not specific pathogens, drives disease.
- Age-related differences in gut microbial communities prompt research into microbial shifts in IBD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-specific alterations in gut microbiota composition associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
- To compare microbial profiles in pediatric, adult, and elderly individuals with and without IBD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cultural, molecular, metabolomic, and metagenomic approaches to analyze gut microbiota.
- Examined bacterial composition, cell counts, and biodiversity across different age groups and IBD status.
Main Results:
- Adult IBD showed increased anaerobic bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides vulgatus), while pediatric IBD had more aerobic bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli).
- IBD patients exhibited higher bacterial counts, reduced biodiversity, a shift in phyla (increased Bacteroidetes, decreased Firmicutes), and altered abundance of beneficial/harmful bacteria.
- Elderly individuals, irrespective of IBD status, possessed a more diverse microbial community than children and adults.
Conclusions:
- Gut microbiota composition significantly differs in IBD patients compared to healthy controls, with age-specific patterns.
- Dysbiosis in IBD involves reduced diversity and shifts in bacterial populations, including a decrease in beneficial species like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
- Age is a critical factor influencing gut microbial structure, with elderly individuals showing greater diversity.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Development of Human Microbiota
The human microbiota begins developing at birth and undergoes continual change as we age. Infancy marks a critical period of microbial sensitivity, offering a “window of opportunity” during which beneficial microbes help mature the immune system. By age three, children typically develop a more stable and diverse microbial community. Newborns acquire microbes from their immediate environment; vaginal delivery favors maternal vaginal microbes, while cesarean births favor microbes from the skin...
01:25Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
Crohn’s disease is a chronic, relapsing form of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by segmental, transmural inflammation that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Its pathogenesis arises from a combination of genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, epithelial barrier dysfunction, and immune dysregulation. Together, these factors lead to an exaggerated immune response against components of the gut microbiome.Genetic and Environmental InfluencesMultiple genetic...
01:23Anatomy of the Intestines
Although digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids may begin in the stomach, it is completed in the intestine. The absorption of nutrients, water, and electrolytes from food and drink also occurs in the intestine. The intestines can be divided into two structurally distinct organs—the small and large intestines.
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the small...
Small Intestines
The small intestine is an ~7 meter-long tube with an inner diameter of just 2.5 cm. Since most nutrients are absorbed here, the inner lining of the small...
01:18Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiota
The human gut microbiome includes a diverse array of microbial species, including beneficial commensals and opportunistic pathogens, which interact to support host health. These microbes contribute to essential functions such as nutrient metabolism, immune system modulation, and maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity. However, disruptions to this equilibrium—referred to as dysbiosis—can have widespread physiological consequences.Dysbiosis is often characterized by reduced microbial...
01:26Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Introduction
Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of chronic disorders marked by recurrent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract due to an abnormal immune response against gut microflora. This leads to tissue damage. The two main forms are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.Crohn’s DiseaseCrohn’s disease is a relapsing inflammatory disorder that can affect any part of the GI tract, from the mouth to the anus. It involves all layers of the bowel wall (transmural) and shows “skip lesions” in which...
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Introduction
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by transmural...