Abstract:
Background: The pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) is multifactorial. Gut microbiota alteration (dysbiosis) which is a shift in the microbial populations inhabiting the gut, is considered a novel factor involved in the pathogenesis of CD. The aim of the study is to describe and study the change in the gut microbiome profile of Egyptian CD patients. Methodology: The study included twenty-four Egyptian individuals with active CD. The activity of the CD was determined according to a combination of clinical and endoscopy indices (the Mayo Clinic index and the Disease Activity Index). Stool specimens were subjected to microbiome analysis using the quantitative SYBR Green real-time PCR method. Results: Patients with CD showed signs of significant dysbiosis, as indicated by a statistically significant reduction in Firmicutes and Ruminococcus abundances relative to the control group (P=0.001, P=0.016), respectively. Patients with CD had a significantly lower Firmicutes/ Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio than the control group (P=0.003).Furthermore, when compared to the control group, the F. prausnitzii, Lactobacilli (P≤ 0.001), and Bifidobacteria (P=0.001) levels in the CD patients were statistically significantly lower. Regarding the Prevotella/Bacteroides ratio (P/B), there were no statistically significant differences seen between the CD patients and the controls. Conclusion: The current study revealed alterations in the gut microbiome of CD patients, compared with healthy controls. This could help identify the gut microbiota and particular bacterial modifications that can be targeted for CD treatment.