Targeted isolation of Methanobrevibacter strains from fecal samples expands the cultivated human archaeome.

Archaea are vital components of the human microbiome, yet their study within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is limited by the scarcity of cultured representatives. Our study presents a method for the targeted enrichment and isolation of methanogenic archaea from human fecal samples. The procedure combines methane breath testing, in silico metabolic modeling, media optimization, FACS, dilution series, and genomic sequencing through Nanopore technology.

Effects of an oral synbiotic on the gastrointestinal immune system and microbiota in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

Purpose: Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder. Probiotics and synbiotics have been shown to improve symptoms of IBS, although mechanisms of action are currently not understood.

Methods: We investigated the effects of a 4-week oral synbiotic treatment (OMNi-BiOTiC Stress Repair) in ten IBS-D patients on gastrointestinal mucosal and fecal microbiota, mucosa-associated immune cells, and fecal short-chain fatty acids.

Mucosal biopsy shows immunologic changes of the colon in patients with early MS.

Objective: To investigate immune cells of the colonic mucosa and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in treatment-naive patients with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or early relapsing MS.

Methods: In this cross-sectional proof-of-concept study, we obtained mucosal specimens during ileocolonoscopy from 15 untreated patients with CIS/MS and 10 controls. Mucosal immune cells were analyzed by FACS, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry measurements of stool samples served to determine SCFA.