Using Affymetrix Microflora array to study microflora composition in children wit

描述（由申请人提供）：在健康的人体内，有数十亿的细菌定植在肠道中。肠道菌群是一个复杂的微生物群落，在炎症性肠病、肠易激综合征（IBS）和结肠癌等多种肠道疾病中发挥作用。其中，肠易激综合征是一种常见的儿童疾病，影响多达25%的学龄儿童和青少年。然而，我们对肠易激综合征和其他疾病中微生物群变化的了解是不完整的。缺乏对健康和患病个体之间微生物群差异的定量测量。此外，虽然儿童和成人都患有这些疾病，但以前的大多数研究都是在成年人中进行的。我们对肠道疾病期间的微生物群落动力学缺乏了解，这阻碍了益生菌等令人兴奋的新药的开发和评估。我们的长期目标是研究肠道疾病期间的微生物群落动态，并评估益生菌作为此类疾病的治疗选择的使用。在本项目中，我们将使用我们专门设计的定制芯片来研究人体胃肠道的微生物群结构，定量比较健康儿童和IBS儿童粪便中的微生物群组成；我们将测试使用益生菌VSL#3来治疗患有肠易激综合征的儿童是否会导致微生物群组成的特定变化，以反映健康儿童的情况。在益生菌治疗开始前对肠道疾病患者进行微生物菌群筛选的潜力可以提供有关微生物菌群状态的有用信息，有助于选择适当的益生菌治疗。同时，评估益生菌治疗期间微生物群落变化的能力将为益生菌对微生物群落的影响提供直接信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the healthy human, there are billions of bacteria colonizing the intestine. This intestinal microflora is a complex community of microorganisms that plays a role in several intestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colon cancer. Among these, IBS is a common disorder in children, affecting up to 25% of school-age children and adolescents. However, our knowledge of the changes in microflora in IBS and other diseases is incomplete. There is a lack of quantitative measurements of microflora differences between healthy and ill individuals. Moreover, while both children and adults suffer from these disorders, the majority of previous studies were carried out in adults. Our lack of understanding of microflora dynamics during intestinal diseases retards the development and evaluation of new and exciting medicines, such as probiotics. Our long-term goal is to study microflora dynamics during intestinal disorders and to assess the use of probiotics as treatment options for such illnesses. In this project, using a custom microarray specifically designed by us to study microflora structure in the human gastrointestinal tract, we will quantitatively compare the microflora composition in the feces of healthy children with that in children with IBS; and we will test if the use of probiotic VSL#3 to treat children suffering from IBS will lead to specific changes in microflora composition to mirror that of healthy children. The potential for screening of microflora in patients suffering from intestinal disorders before the onset of probiotic treatment can provide useful information on microflora status that would help in the choice of an appropriate probiotic therapy. At the same time, the ability to assess changes in microflora during probiotic treatment will provide direct information on the effect of probiotics on the microflora community. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Intestinal microflora is a complex community of microorganisms that is believed to play a role in several intestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Though there is evidence that the gut flora of IBS patients differs from that of the healthy individuals, we still lack the understanding of specific microflora changes in IBS. The paucity of such knowledge leads to difficulties in interpretation of the results of IBS treatments, particularly those involving probiotics. The research proposed in this application will profile microflora composition in healthy children and in children with IBS undergoing probiotic treatment. The comparisons of microflora composition between these children will i) provide information on microflora status during IBS in children and its changes as a result of probiotic treatment, ii) expedite the evaluation and development of new therapeutic options such as probiotic agents aimed to restore normal microflora composition; and iii) establish the base of knowledge on microflora composition necessary for further studies of probiotic effects on microflora.