The Long-Term Stability of the Human Gut Microbiota

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 341; no. 6141; p. 44
• Main Authors: Faith, Jeremiah J., Guruge, Janaki L., Charbonneau, Mark, Subramanian, Sathish, Seedorf, Henning, Goodman, Andrew L., Clemente, Jose C., Knight, Rob, Heath, Andrew C., Leibel, Rudolph L., Rosenbaum, Michael, Gordon, Jeffrey I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Association for the Advancement of Science 05-07-2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adult; Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Body Composition; Caloric Restriction; Constituents; Family; Feces - microbiology; Female; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Genome, Bacterial - genetics; Genomes; Genomic Instability; Health; Human; Humans; Male; Metagenome; Microbiota; Models, Biological; Polymerase chain reaction; RESEARCH ARTICLE SUMMARY; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequencing; Stability; Strain; Time Factors; Weight Loss; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1237439

A low-error 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing method, in combination with whole-genome sequencing of >500 cultured isolates, was used to characterize bacterial strain composition in the fecal microbiota of 37 U.S. adults sampled for up to 5 years. Microbiota stability followed a power-law function, which when extrapolated suggests that most strains in an individual are residents for decades. Shared strains were recovered from family members but not from unrelated individuals. Sampling of individuals who consumed a monotonous liquid diet for up to 32 weeks indicated that changes in strain composition were better predicted by changes in weight than by differences in sampling interval. This combination of stability and responsiveness to physiologic change confirms the potential of the gut microbiota as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic target.