Characteristics of Faecal Microbiota in Korean Patients with Clostridioides difficile -associated Diarrhea

The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis of -associated diarrhea, and regional and racial characteristics influence the microbiome composition and diversity. We investigated the intestinal microbiome characteristics of patients with colitis (CD+) compared to those of patients with colitis not due to (CD-), patients with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization, and healthy controls, in Korea. We collected stool samples from 24, 18, 11 and 13 subjects within CD+, CD-, VRE and healthy control groups, respectively. The microbial communities were evaluated by 454-pyrosequencing of bacterial 16s rRNA. The species richness and microbial diversity were significantly lower in the CD+ group compared to those in healthy controls, but not compared to those in CD- and VRE groups. Phylum-level analysis showed that the proportion of Actinobacteria in the CD+ group was significantly lower than in the healthy control, but was unchanged compared to that in CD- and VRE groups. At the genus level, compared to the healthy group, the CD+ group showed significantly lower proportions of , , et al. Compared to the VRE group, the CD+ group showed a significantly higher proportion of . We could identify the intestinal microbiome characteristics of Koreans with colitis. It might help to develop microbiome based diagnostic and treatment modalities.