The researchers identified 21 families with a pediatric IBD patient, encompassing 26 Crohn’s disease patients in clinical remission, 10 ulcertive colitis patients in clinical remission and 54 health family members. They collected fecal samples from all participants to investigate microbes and metabolites associated with IBD.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The microbial and metabolomics states were correlated with one another, which suggests that they represent an “integrated ecosystem.”
2. A subset of healthy relatives, who had no clinical symptoms of IBD, had IBD-associated microbial and metabolomics compositions.
3. These relatives had increased incidence of elevated fecal calprotectin, which suggest the IBD-associated changes in their intestinal metabolome may point to a “predisease state.”
The researchers conclude that “healthy first-degree relatives can have dysbiosis associated with an altered intestinal metabolome that may signify a predisease microbial susceptibility state or subclinical inflammation.” These findings may help clinicians develop preventative approaches to IBD.
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