Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Press release, 26 April 2017: Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to imbalanced microbiome
Scientists identify abnormal levels of specific gut bacteria in individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome, including those with and without co-morbid IBS
Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have discovered abnormal levels of specific gut bacteria related to chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME/CFS, in patients with and without concurrent irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. Findings are published in the journal Microbiome.
The study is among the first to disentangle imbalances in the gut bacteria in individuals with ME/CFS and IBS. ME/CFS is a complex, debilitating disorder characterized by extreme fatigue after exertion and other symptoms including muscle and joint pain, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbance, and orthostatic intolerance. Up to 90 percent of ME/CFS patients also have IBS.
The researchers followed 50 patients and 50 matched healthy controls recruited at four ME/CFS clinical sites. They tested for bacterial species in fecal samples, and for immune molecules in blood samples.
They report:
- Levels of distinct intestinal bacterial species–Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, Dorea, Coprococcus, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Coprobacillus–were strongly associated with ME/CFS; their combined relative abundance appeared to be predictive of diagnosis
- Increased abundance of unclassified Alistipes and decreased Faecalibacterium were the top biomarkers of ME/CFS with IBS; while increased unclassified
- Bacteroides abundance and decreased Bacteroides vulgatus were the top biomarkers of ME/CFS without IBS
- An analysis of bacterial metabolic pathways associated with disturbances in gut bacteria revealed distinct differences between ME/CFS and ME/CFS subgroups relative to healthy controls
- In ME/CFS subgroups, symptom severity measures, including pain and fatigue, correlated with the abundance of distinct bacterial types and metabolic pathways
- No changes were observed in immune markers–a finding that may reflect the dearth of participants who had been ill for a short time; earlier research suggests immune changes may only be evident when comparing short and long duration cases
“Individuals with ME/CFS have a distinct mix of gut bacteria and related metabolic disturbances that may influence the severity of their disease,” says co-lead investigator Dorottya Nagy-Szakal, postdoctoral research scientist at CII.
“Our analysis suggests that we may be able to subtype patients with ME/CFS by analyzing their fecal microbiome,” says co-lead investigator Brent L. Williams, assistant professor of Pathology and Cell Biology at CII. “Subtyping may provide clues to understanding differences in manifestations of disease.”
“Much like IBS, ME/CFS may involve a breakdown in the bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut mediated by bacteria, their metabolites, and the molecules they influence,” says senior author W. Ian Lipkin, director of CII and John Snow Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School. “By identifying the specific bacteria involved, we are one step closer to more accurate diagnosis and targeted therapies.”
Fecal metagenomic profiles in subgroups of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome by Dorottya Nagy-Szakal, Brent L. Williams, Nischay Mishra, Xiaoyu Che, Bohyun Lee, Lucinda Bateman, Nancy G. Klimas, Anthony L. Komaroff, Susan Levine, Jose G. Montoya, Daniel L. Peterson, Devi Ramanan, Komal Jain, Meredith L. Eddy, Mady Hornig and W. Ian Lipkin in Microbiome 2017 5:44 [Published: 26 April 2017]
Microbe discovery project, 26 April 2017: Ian Lipkin’s CII team shows gut bacteria in ME/CFS may influence disease severity
Simmaron Research, by Cort Johnson, 28 April 2017: Columbia & Simmaron Gut Study Uncovers Another Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Subset
The Times article by Tim Whipple, 26 April 2017: Gut bacteria linked to chronic fatigue
Virology blog post, by Vincent Racaniello, 27 April 2017: Intestinal dysbiosis in ME/CFS patients
Medical news today article by Tim Newman, 26 April 2017: Link between chronic fatigue syndrome and gut bacteria explored
Vocativ article, by Ed Cara, 26 April 2017: Scientists Step Closer To Understanding Mysterious Fatigue Syndrome
