This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vanhoutte, T.
Right arrow Articles by Huys, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vanhoutte, T.
Right arrow Articles by Huys, G.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Vanhoutte, T.
Right arrow Articles by Huys, G.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2006, p. 5990-5997, Vol. 72, No. 9
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00233-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Monitoring of the Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Human Subjects during Administration of Lactulose and Saccharomyces boulardii

Tom Vanhoutte,1 Vicky De Preter,2 Evie De Brandt,1 Kristin Verbeke,2 Jean Swings,1,3 and Geert Huys1*

Laboratory of Microbiology,1 BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium,3 Department of Gastrointestinal Research, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium2

Received 30 January 2006/ Accepted 22 June 2006

Diet is a major factor in maintaining a healthy human gastrointestinal tract, and this has triggered the development of functional foods containing a probiotic and/or prebiotic component intended to improve the host's health via modulation of the intestinal microbiota. In this study, a long-term placebo-controlled crossover feeding study in which each subject received several treatments was performed to monitor the effect of a prebiotic substrate (i.e., lactulose), a probiotic organism (i.e., Saccharomyces boulardii), and their synbiotic combination on the fecal microbiota of three groups of 10 healthy human subjects differing in prebiotic dose and/or intake of placebo versus synbiotic. For this purpose, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was used to detect possible changes in the overall bacterial composition using the universal V3 primer and to detect possible changes at the subpopulation level using group-specific primers targeting the Bacteroides fragilis subgroup, the genus Bifidobacterium, the Clostridium lituseburense group (cluster XI), and the Clostridium coccoides-Eubacterium rectale group (cluster XIVa). Although these populations remained fairly stable based on DGGE profiling, one pronounced change was observed in the universal fingerprint profiles after lactulose ingestion. Band position analysis and band sequencing revealed that a band appearing or intensifying following lactulose administration could be assigned to the species Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Subsequent analysis with real-time PCR (RT-PCR) indicated a statistically significant increase (P < 0.05) in total bifidobacteria in one of the three subject groups after lactulose administration, whereas a similar but nonsignificant trend was observed in the other two groups. Combined RT-PCR results from two subject groups indicated a borderline significant increase (P = 0.074) of B. adolescentis following lactulose intake. The probiotic yeast S. boulardii did not display any detectable universal changes in the DGGE profiles, nor did it influence the bifidobacterial levels. This study highlighted the capacity of an integrated approach consisting of DGGE analysis and RT-PCR to monitor and quantify pronounced changes in the fecal microbiota of healthy subjects upon functional food administration.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of Microbiology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: 32-9-264.51.31. Fax: 32-9-264.50.92. E-mail: Geert.Huys{at}UGent.be.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2006, p. 5990-5997, Vol. 72, No. 9
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00233-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Antonopoulos, D. A., Huse, S. M., Morrison, H. G., Schmidt, T. M., Sogin, M. L., Young, V. B. (2009). Reproducible Community Dynamics of the Gastrointestinal Microbiota following Antibiotic Perturbation. Infect. Immun. 77: 2367-2375 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Falony, G., Calmeyn, T., Leroy, F., De Vuyst, L. (2009). Coculture Fermentations of Bifidobacterium Species and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron Reveal a Mechanistic Insight into the Prebiotic Effect of Inulin-Type Fructans. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 2312-2319 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Vitali, B., Pugliese, C., Biagi, E., Candela, M., Turroni, S., Bellen, G., Donders, G. G. G., Brigidi, P. (2007). Dynamics of Vaginal Bacterial Communities in Women Developing Bacterial Vaginosis, Candidiasis, or No Infection, Analyzed by PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Real-Time PCR. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 5731-5741 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»