Personalized Gut Mucosal Colonization Resistance to Empiric Probiotics Is Associated with Unique Host and Microbiome Features.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Controlled clinical trial in humans with sequential invasive sampling, combined with animal experiments.
PubMed 30193112 · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.041
What was done
Researchers evaluated gastrointestinal mucosal colonization by administering an 11-strain probiotic combination or placebo to both mice (conventionally colonized vs. germ-free) and human participants. Metagenomic and multi-omics profiling was performed on stool and sequentially sampled mucosal-associated gastrointestinal tissue at baseline and during intervention.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values or effect sizes. Probiotics remained viable through gastrointestinal transit. Conventionally colonized mice exhibited strong mucosal colonization resistance compared to germ-free mice. In humans, mucosal colonization was person-, region-, and strain-specific, driven by baseline host and microbiome characteristics, and could not be detected from stool composition. Probiotic supplementation caused only transient, individualized alterations in mucosal community structure and gut gene expression.
Why it matters
Standard stool analysis fails to reflect mucosal probiotic colonization, showing that universal empiric probiotic supplementation is limited by personalized mucosal resistance mechanisms.
Limits
The abstract does not state human or animal sample sizes, participant baseline health characteristics, duration of follow-up, or quantitative statistical metrics.
Cited by
- supports In a study testing 11 over-the-counter probiotic strains in humans and mice, the indigenous microbiome prevented the probiotics from colonizing the gut in approximately half of human participants.
- supports In individuals whose guts resisted probiotic colonization, probiotic consumption caused no measurable changes in gut mucosal responsiveness.
- supports In individuals where supplemental probiotics colonized the gut, significant impacts were observed on gut mucosal responsiveness.
- context Antibiotic administration clears the indigenous microbiome, permitting supplemental probiotics to colonize the gut in humans and mice.
- supports Stool sampling does not accurately reflect whether probiotics colonize the gastrointestinal mucosa, as shed bacteria accumulate in stool regardless of colonization.