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Extensive transmission of microbes along the gastrointestinal tract

Thomas Sb Schmidt1, Matthew R Hayward1, Luis P Coelho1

  • 1Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.

Elife
|February 13, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Oral microbes commonly colonize the large intestine in healthy individuals, challenging previous beliefs. This oral-fecal transmission is extensive and significant for gut microbiome composition in health and disease.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Human Health

Background:

  • The gastrointestinal tract harbors a dense microbial community.
  • Translocation of oral microbes to the intestine is traditionally viewed as rare and pathological.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and extent of oral microbial transmission to the large intestine in healthy individuals.
  • To determine if oral-fecal transmission is a common process shaping the gut microbiome.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of salivary and fecal microbial strain populations.
  • Study included 310 species across 470 individuals from five countries.

Main Results:

  • Oral microbial transmission to the large intestine is common and extensive in healthy individuals.
  • A majority of oral species are transferable.
  • Increased transmission observed in colorectal cancer and rheumatoid arthritis patients, and with opportunistic pathogens.

Conclusions:

  • The oral cavity serves as an endogenous reservoir for gut microbial strains.
  • Oral-fecal transmission is a significant process influencing the gastrointestinal microbiome in both health and disease.
Keywords:
colorectal cancercomputational biologygastrointestinal tracthumaninfectious diseasemetagenomicsmicrobiologymicrobiomerheumatoid arthritissystems biology

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