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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 14, 2014; 20(10): 2470-2481
Published online Mar 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i10.2470
Published online Mar 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i10.2470
Unraveling the ties between irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal microbiota
Sung Noh Hong, Poong-Lyul Rhee, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 135-710, South Korea
Author contributions: Hong SN and Rhee PL participated in conception and design of the paper, and analysis of the literature data; Hong SN provided the first draft of the manuscript; Rhee PL was involved in critical discussion and revision of the manuscript for the intellectual content.
Correspondence to: Poong-Lyul Rhee, MD, PhD, Professor, Chairman, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, South Korea. plrhee@skku.edu
Telephone: +82-2-34103409 Fax: +82-2-34106983
Received: October 2, 2013
Revised: November 26, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: March 14, 2014
Revised: November 26, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: March 14, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: The intestinal microbiota is altered in some Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients, and the symptoms of IBS can be alleviated by treatments that target the microbiota. Over the past several years, many studies have attempted to identify the intestinal microbiota composition in IBS patients and intestinal dysbiosis in IBS is characterized by Firmicutes enrichment and reduced abundance of Bacteroides. Based on the differences in intestinal microbiota composition, the roles of microbiota-targeted treatments, such as antibiotics and probiotics, were investigated in alleviating certain symptoms of IBS.