Abstract:
Modern advancements in the sequencing technology for analyzing microbial communities
have provided valuable insights on the intricate microbiota present in mammalian
gastrointestinal tract whose composition have a significant impact in determining the
overall health of the host. Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent chronic functional
condition affecting the gastrointestinal system. Due to scarcity of the information of its
pathogenesis, the treatment of functional dyspepsia poses challenges, and for the vast
majority of patients, the problem persists chronically with symptoms that vary over time.
Current study was designed for the characterization of mucosa associated microbiota
(MAM) of stomach among functional dyspepsia patients. Biopsy samples of patients
presenting symptoms of dyspepsia were collected from Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi.
Samples were processed and cultured repeatedly to isolate pure bacterial colonies. The pure
isolates were then subjected to colony PCR for the amplification of 16srRNA gene using
universal primers 27F and 1492R. For the identification of the isolates, Sanger Sequencing
was done with 518F and 800R primers which cover the V4 region of the 16srRNA gene.
Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis revealed that 41% of the isolates identified belong
to phyla Firmicutes and 59% to Actinobacteria. Among Firmicutes most of the isolates
belong to Lactobacillus, while among Actinobacteria most of isolates belongs to the family
Micrococcaceae. The phylum Actinobacteria was found to be highly abundant in the
analyzed samples. Thus, our results indicate high prevalence of Firmicutes and
Actinobacteria in stomach microbiota of patients suffering from Functional Dyspepsia in
Pakistan. Overall, the current study provides a better understanding of stomach microflora
associated with functional dyspepsia. Exploration of the intricate relationship between the
host and microbiota holds the potential to uncover innovative therapeutic strategies that
specifically and effectively cure different aspects of the disease
