E. Coli Bacterium Takes Advantage of Crohn’s Disease Severity

Multi-year research of the function of E. coli gut bacteria in Crohn's disease discovered that gastrointestinal inflammatory illness releases substances that support the bacteria's development while also promoting their potential to produce inflammation.

The findings point to novel therapeutic options that selectively disrupt the chemicals that feed E coli.

Mucous membrane Metabolic byproducts Fuel the Development and Infectivity of E. Coli Linked to Crohn's Disease, published in the journal JCI Insight on April 12, focuses on ileal Crohn's illness, an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the final section of the small intestine.

E.Coli linked to Crohn's disease

(Photo : Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

A specific kind of E. coli, known as adherent and invasive E.coli (AIEC), has been identified in 21% to 63% of individuals with Crohn's disease and has been found to cling to and penetrate cultivated epithelial cells from the intestine (the gut lining) and proliferate in defense white blood cells (macrophages).

The researchers used a patient-centered interdisciplinary approach to discover parameters related to ileal AIEC and the influence of these factors on AIEC development and pathogenicity, as per ScienceDaily.

Dr. Shiying Zhang, a senior research fellow in the College of Veterinary Medicine, led the AIEC studies, which were directed by Dr. Xochitl Morgan's multi-pronged analysis at the University of Otago.

The researchers have found that the inflammatory process generates a chemical environment that is rich in a variety of compounds (called metabolites), particularly phospholipids and amino acids, which Crohn's associated E.coli can use selectively for growth, energy, stress resistance, and movement toward the gut lining.

They next discovered that the phospholipid-associated ethanolamine and glutamine exacerbated the aggressive activity of AIEC in cultured cells, and they related ethanolamine consumption to intestinal inflammation in an inflammatory bowel disease model.

Previous research has found that persons with ileal Crohn's disease had gene abnormalities that limit macrophages' capacity to destroy AIEC.

The capacity of E.coli to reproduce in macrophages is linked to their survival in the gut, according to this study.

Also Read: Engineers Develop a New Way to harness Biofuel from E.coli

Inflammatory bowel disease and the gut microbiota

Since IBD is an aggressive illness of the gastrointestinal system, luminal factors may be implicated. As a result, gut bacteria are usually suspected as being the source of IBD relapses.

Antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin or rifaximin, have been shown to enhance clinical outcomes in some IBD patients, as per the journal Escherichia coli Pathobionts Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Microbiological studies in IBD patients with confirmed illness demonstrate a decrease in resident aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (clostridial cluster IV), and an increase in potentially harmful microbes, such as Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Proteus, and fungus.

In the intestines of IBD patients, studies demonstrate a considerable decrease in lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, as well as an increase in Bacteroides.

Reduced levels of butyrate are caused by a decrease in the predominance of butyrate-producing bacteria, particularly ones belonging to the clostridial group, in the intestines of IBD patients with the active illness.

Butyrate is generally a regulator of proinflammatory cytokine expression in the intestinal mucosa, a stimulator of mucin and antimicrobial peptide synthesis, and a strengthener of epithelial barrier integrity by boosting the expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins.