Eukaryotes in the gut microbiota in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Alexandra H Mandarano,Ludovic Giloteaux,Betsy A Keller,Susan M Levine,Maureen R Hanson

doi:10.7717/peerj.4282

Alexandra H Mandarano, Ludovic Giloteaux + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4282

Copy DOI

Journal: PeerJ	Publication Date: Jan 22, 2018
Citations: 34	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Cornell University, Ithaca College

Abstract

Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) often suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms and many are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Previous studies, including from our laboratory, have demonstrated that the ME/CFS gut bacterial composition is altered and less diverse when compared to healthy individuals. Patients have increased biomarkers of inflammation and leaky gut syndrome. To further investigate dysbiosis in the ME/CFS gut microbiome, we sought to characterize the eukaryotes present in the gut of 49 individuals with ME/CFS and 39 healthy controls. Using 18S rRNA sequencing, we have identified eukaryotes in stool samples of 17 healthy individuals and 17 ME/CFS patients. Our analysis demonstrates a small, nonsignificant decrease in eukaryotic diversity in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy individuals. In addition, ME/CFS patients show a nonsignificant increase in the ratio of fungal phyla Basidiomycota to Ascomycota, which is consistent with ongoing inflammation in ME/CFS. We did not identify specific eukaryotic taxa that are associated with ME/CFS disease status.

Highlights

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disease without identified causes or mechanisms, characterized by symptoms of profound fatigue, pain, cognitive impairment, post-exertional malaise and inflammation (Institute of Medicine, 2015)
Our results demonstrate that the ME/CFS gut eukaryotic composition is consistent with an inflammatory state in ME/CFS patients
Among the eukaryotes we identified, there was not a specific gut eukaryote associated with ME/CFS

Summary

Introduction

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disease without identified causes or mechanisms, characterized by symptoms of profound fatigue, pain, cognitive impairment, post-exertional malaise and inflammation (Institute of Medicine, 2015). Patients are commonly diagnosed with ME/CFS following a flu-like illness, implicating an inciting pathogen in the disease. Patients became ill following a diagnosed viral, bacterial or protozoan infection. Patients often complain of gastrointestinal symptoms, such as stomach pain, diarrhea, and nausea. Many patients are diagnosed with gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (Institute of Medicine, 2015; Maes et al, 2014). In a recent investigation of the ME/CFS gut microbiome, our laboratory used 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing to demonstrate a decrease in the overall diversity of gut prokaryotes in patients with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls (Giloteaux et al, 2016)

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion