Z Gastroenterol 2020; 58(01): e31-e32
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3402184
Poster Visit Session III Metabolism (incl. NAFLD): Friday, February 14, 2020, 4:40 pm – 5:25 pm, Lecture Hall P1
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Phenotyping non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by the gut microbiota – ready for prime time?

A Martin
1   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cologne, Germany
,
S Lang
2   University of California San Diego, Department of Medicine, San Diego, United States
1   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cologne, Germany
,
F Farowski
3   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, Cologne, Germany
4   German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn/Cologne, Germany
5   Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
,
H Wisplinghoff
6   Wisplinghoff Laboratories, Cologne, Germany
7   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Cologne, Germany
8   University Witten/Herdecke, Institute for Virology and Medical Microbiology, Witten, Germany
,
MJG Vehreschild
3   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, Cologne, Germany
4   German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn/Cologne, Germany
5   Goethe University Frankfurt, Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
,
M Krawczyk
9   Saarland University Medical Center, Saarland University, Department of Medicine II, Homburg, Germany
10   Medical University of Warsaw, Laboratory of Metabolic Liver Diseases, Department of General, Transplant and Liver Surgery, Warsaw, Poland
,
A Nowag
6   Wisplinghoff Laboratories, Cologne, Germany
7   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Cologne, Germany
,
A Kretzschmar
6   Wisplinghoff Laboratories, Cologne, Germany
,
J Herweg
6   Wisplinghoff Laboratories, Cologne, Germany
,
F Lammert
9   Saarland University Medical Center, Saarland University, Department of Medicine II, Homburg, Germany
,
T Goeser
1   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cologne, Germany
,
P Kasper
1   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cologne, Germany
,
HM Steffen
1   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cologne, Germany
,
M Demir
1   University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine, and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cologne, Germany
11   Charité University Medicine, Campus Virchow Clinic and Campus Charité Mitte, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Berlin, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
03 January 2020 (online)

Also available at
 
 

    Background and aims:

    Several studies suggest an association of a specific gut microbiota signature with the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, analyzed patient populations and methods strongly differ among these studies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the reproducibility of previous human data on NAFLD in our patient cohort using next generation sequencing (NGS) methods.

    Patients and methods:

    The individual taxonomic intestinal microbiota composition of 111 subjects was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Studies investigating the gut microbiota in NAFLD patients were identified from PubMed listed publications and the results were summarized. The study participants were grouped according to their disease stage and the microbiota composition was compared to findings of the identified studies.

    Results:

    Results from 13 identified studies were compared to our data. Our cohort included 90 NAFLD patients (n = 20 NAFL (non-alcoholic fatty liver); n = 47 NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis); n = 23 without liver biopsy) and 21 healthy controls. A decreased abundance of the phylum Bacteroidetes and the Ruminococcaceae family as well as an increased abundance of the Lactobacillaceae and Veillonellaceae family and Dorea genus were the most frequently reported changes among NAFLD patients in 4/13, 5/13, 4/13, 2/13, 3/13 studies, respectively. Whereas these alterations in gut microbiota composition were also observed in our patient cohort, the majority of published differences could not be reproduced, neither in our own nor in other NAFLD cohort studies.

    Conclusions:

    The most frequently reported dysbiotic changes of NAFLD patients, namely decreased abundances of Bacteroidetes and Ruminococcaceae could also be identified in our patient cohort. Despite repeatedly reproduced abundance patterns of specific bacteria, the heterogeneous study results do not allow to reliably phenotype NAFLD by gut microbiota up to now. Further prospective studies with homogenous patient cohorts and standardised methods are necessary to identify a consistent and disease-specific gut microbiota signature in NAFLD patients.


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