Mucosal microbiota of the diverticula in inflammatory complications of diverticular disease (a pilot study)

PATIENTS AND METHODS: in this pilot study using classical culture methods and analysis of 16S rDNA libraries sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform, we characterized the mucosa-associated microbiota of four diverticula in resected colon specimens of patients. RESULTS: in all the samples the abundance of Enterobacteria and the shift towards the predominance of Bacteroides in the ratio of Prevotella-to-Bacteroides (P/B) was detected. In three samples, Firmicutes prevailed over Bacteroidetes. Also, in three samples the balance in the microbial landscape was strongly shifted towards one genus: Bacteroidetes, Parvimonas, Akkermansia, or Bifidobacterium. CONCLUSION: microbiota inside inflamed diverticula revealed the specific shifts in the intestinal microbiome that may contribute to the progression of inflammation in the diverticulum up to its inflammatory destruction.