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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2006, p. 1027-1033, Vol. 72, No. 2
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.2.1027-1033.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Differences in Fecal Microbiota in Different European Study Populations in Relation to Age, Gender, and Country: a Cross-Sectional Study

Susanne Mueller,1,{dagger} Katiana Saunier,2,{dagger} Christiana Hanisch,3 Elisabeth Norin,4 Livia Alm,4 Tore Midtvedt,4 Alberto Cresci,5 Stefania Silvi,5 Carla Orpianesi,5 Maria Cristina Verdenelli,5 Thomas Clavel,1,2 Corinna Koebnick,3 Hans-Joachim Franz Zunft,3 Joël Doré,2 and Michael Blaut1*

Abteilung Gastrointestinale Mikrobiologie, Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany,1 Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système Digestif, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jovy-en-Josas, France,2 Abteilung Interventionsstudien, Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany,3 Microbiology and Tumor Biology Center, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden,4 Dipartimento di Scienze Morfologiche e Biochimiche Comparate, Università degli Studi di Camerino, Camerino, Italy5

Received 27 June 2005/ Accepted 2 September 2005

A cross-sectional study on intestinal microbiota composition was performed on 230 healthy subjects at four European locations in France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden. The study participants were assigned to two age groups: 20 to 50 years (mean age, 35 years; n = 85) and >60 years (mean age, 75 years; n = 145). A set of 14 group- and species-specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes was applied to the analysis of fecal samples by fluorescence in situ hybridization coupled with flow cytometry. Marked country-age interactions were observed for the German and Italian study groups. These interactions were inverse for the predominant bacterial groups Eubacterium rectale-Clostridium coccoides and Bacteroides-Prevotella. Differences between European populations were observed for the Bifidobacterium group only. Proportions of bifidobacteria were two- to threefold higher in the Italian study population than in any other study group, and this effect was independent of age. Higher proportions of enterobacteria were found in all elderly volunteers independent of the location. Gender effects were observed for the Bacteroides-Prevotella group, with higher levels in males than in females. In summary, age-related differences in the microbiota makeup were detected but differed between the study populations from the four countries, each showing a characteristic colonization pattern.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Abteilung Gastrointestinale Mikrobiologie, Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung Potsdam-Rehbrücke, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany. Phone: (49) 3320088470. Fax: (49) 3320088407. E-mail: blaut{at}mail.dife.de.

{dagger} S.M. and K.S. contributed equally to this study.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2006, p. 1027-1033, Vol. 72, No. 2
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.2.1027-1033.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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