Microbial shifts and signatures of long-term remission in ulcerative colitis after faecal microbiota transplantation.

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may contribute towards disease remission in ulcerative colitis (UC), but it is unknown which factors determine long-term effect of treatment. Here, we aimed to identify bacterial signatures associated with sustained remission. To this end, samples from healthy donors and UC patients-grouped into responders and non-responders at a primary end point (week 12) and further stratified by sustained clinical remission and relapse assessed at ⩾1-year follow-up were analysed, comparing the efficacy of FMT from either a healthy donor or autologous faeces. Microbiota composition was determined with a 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic microarray on faecal and mucosal samples, and functional profiles were predicted using PICRUSt with quantitative PCR verification of the butyrate production capacity; short-chain fatty acids were measured in faecal samples. At baseline, UC patients showed reduced amounts of bacterial groups from the Clostridium cluster XIVa, and significantly higher levels of Bacteroidetes as compared with donors. These differences were reduced after FMT mostly in responders. Sustained remission was associated with known butyrate producers and overall increased butyrate production capacity, while relapse was associated with Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Ruminococcus gnavus was found at high levels in donors of failed FMT. A microbial ecosystem rich in Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria and low in Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa observed in UC patients after FMT was predictive of poor sustained response, unless modified with a donor microbiota rich in specific members from the Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa. Additionally, sustained response was associated with restoration of the butyrate production capacity.

Long-term effects on luminal and mucosal microbiota and commonly acquired taxa in faecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection.

BACKGROUND: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI). It restores the disrupted intestinal microbiota and subsequently suppresses C. difficile. The long-term stability of the intestinal microbiota and the recovery of mucosal microbiota, both of which have not been previously studied, are assessed herein. Further, the specific bacteria behind the treatment efficacy are also investigated. METHODS: We performed a high-throughput microbiota profiling using a phylogenetic microarray analysis of 131 faecal and mucosal samples from 14 rCDI patients pre- and post-FMT during a 1-year follow-up and 23 samples from the three universal donors over the same period. RESULTS: The FMT treatment was successful in all patients. FMT reverted the patients' bacterial community to become dominated by Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa, the major anaerobic bacterial groups of the healthy gut. In the mucosa, the amount of facultative anaerobes decreased, whereas Bacteroidetes increased. Post-FMT, the patients' microbiota profiles were more similar to their own donors than what is generally observed for unrelated subjects and this striking similarity was retained throughout the 1-year follow-up. Furthermore, the universal donor approach allowed us to identify bacteria commonly established in all CDI patients and revealed a commonly acquired core microbiota consisting of 24 bacterial taxa. CONCLUSIONS: FMT induces profound microbiota changes, therefore explaining the high clinical efficacy for rCDI. The identification of commonly acquired bacteria could lead to effective bacteriotherapeutic formulations. FMT can affect microbiota in the long-term and offers a means to modify it relatively permanently for the treatment of microbiota-associated diseases.

Findings From a Randomized Controlled Trial of Fecal Transplantation for Patients With Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Several case series have reported the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for ulcerative colitis (UC). We assessed the efficacy and safety of FMT for patients with UC in a double-blind randomized trial. METHODS: Patients with mild to moderately active UC (n = 50) were assigned to groups that underwent FMT with feces from healthy donors or were given autologous fecal microbiota (control); each transplant was administered via nasoduodenal tube at the start of the study and 3 weeks later. The study was performed at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam from June 2011 through May 2014. The composite primary end point was clinical remission (simple clinical colitis activity index scores ≤2) combined with ≥1-point decrease in the Mayo endoscopic score at week 12. Secondary end points were safety and microbiota composition by phylogenetic microarray in fecal samples. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients completed the primary end point assessment. In the intention-to-treat analysis, 7 of 23 patients who received fecal transplants from healthy donors (30.4%) and 5 of 25 controls (20.0%) achieved the primary end point (P = .51). In the per-protocol analysis, 7 of 17 patients who received fecal transplants from healthy donors (41.2%) and 5 of 20 controls (25.0%) achieved the primary end point (P = .29). Serious adverse events occurred in 4 patients (2 in the FMT group), but these were not considered to be related to the FMT. At 12 weeks, the microbiota of responders in the FMT group was similar to that of their healthy donors; remission was associated with proportions of Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa. CONCLUSIONS: In this phase 2 trial, there was no statistically significant difference in clinical and endoscopic remission between patients with UC who received fecal transplants from healthy donors and those who received their own fecal microbiota, which may be due to limited numbers. However, the microbiota of responders had distinct features from that of nonresponders, warranting further study. ClinicalTrials.gov Number: NCT01650038.