Significant difference in gut microbiota Bifidobacterium species but not Lactobacillus species in colorectal cancer patients - A quantitative real-time PCR study

Q: What was the study’s goal regarding gut microbiota?

To quantitatively evaluate lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains in fecal samples from colorectal cancer patients compared with healthy volunteers.

Q: How were lactobacilli and bifidobacteria measured?

Bacterial DNA was extracted from fecal samples and quantified using quantitative real-time PCR with genus-specific 16S rDNA primers.

Q: What were the key findings about Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus?

Bifidobacteria abundance significantly declined in CRC patients, while lactobacilli abundance showed no significant difference between CRC and healthy groups. The study also reported a positive association between CRC lack of genetic history and gut bifidobacteria and lactobacilli numbers.

Sep 21, 2026

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and studies increasingly link CRC with gut microbiota imbalance. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are of special interest due to their potential roles in restoring gut microflora alterations. This study quantitatively evaluated fecal lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains in CRC patients versus healthy controls using quantitative real-time PCR to assess differential abundance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Abstract

Background

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Materials and Methods

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PLOS ONE OPEN ACCESS Citation: Esfandiari F, Bakhshi B, Shahbazi T, Derakhshan-nezhad E, Bahroudi M, Minaeeian S, et al. (2024) Significant difference in gut microbiota Bifidobacterium species but not Lactobacillus species in colorectal cancer patients in comparison with healthy volunteers using quantitative real-time PCR. PLoS ONE 19(11): e0294053 . [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.1371/journal.pone](10.1371/journal.pone).0294053 Editor: Erwin G Zoetendal, Wageningen Universiteit, NETHERLANDS, KINGDOM OF THE Received: January 13, 2023 Accepted: October 25, 2023 Published: November 27, 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Esfandiari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the paper. Funding: This work was financially supported by Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, under grant number 99-2-78-19108. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. RESEARCH ARTICLE Significant difference in gut microbiota Bifidobacterium species but not Lactobacillus species in colorectal cancer patients in comparison with healthy volunteers using quantitative real-time PCR Fahime Esfandiari1, Bita Bakhshi1 *, Tayebe Shahbazi1, Elahe Derakhshan-nezhad2, Mahboube Bahroudi1, Sara Minaeeian3 *, Mina Boustanshenas3, Forough Alborzi4, Behnam Behboudi5, Mohamad Sadegh Fazeli5 1 Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, 2 Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, 3 Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 4 Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 5 Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran * [b.bakhshi@modares.ac.ir](b.bakhshi@modares.ac.ir) (BB); [Sara.minaeian@gmail.com](Sara.minaeian@gmail.com) (SM) Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC), with a growing incidence trend, is one of the most diagnosed cancers and the second cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The literature has frequently focused attention on the correlation between the gut microbiota imbalance and CRC. The genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have recently received increasing attention because of their potential in restoring alterations in the gut microflora. Therefore, this study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the presence of lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains in the fecal samples of CRC patients compared to healthy volunteers. Methods From 2018 to 2019, 25 confirmed CRC patients and 25 age-and gender-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the fecal samples and the presence of lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains were quantitatively determined using quantitative real-time PCR using genus-specific 16S rDNA primers. Results A significant decline in the abundance of bifidobacteria in CRC patients compared to healthy individuals (p value<0.003) was observed; however, no significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the abundance of lactobacilli (p value<0. 163) . Correlation analysis showed a positive association between the lack of genetic history of CRC and the numbers of gut bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. PLOS ONE | [https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294053](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294053) November 27, 2024 1 / 17 Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing intere

FAQs

What was the study’s goal regarding gut microbiota?

To quantitatively evaluate lactobacilli and bifidobacterial strains in fecal samples from colorectal cancer patients compared with healthy volunteers.

How were lactobacilli and bifidobacteria measured?

Bacterial DNA was extracted from fecal samples and quantified using quantitative real-time PCR with genus-specific 16S rDNA primers.

What were the key findings about Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus?

Bifidobacteria abundance significantly declined in CRC patients, while lactobacilli abundance showed no significant difference between CRC and healthy groups. The study also reported a positive association between CRC lack of genetic history and gut bifidobacteria and lactobacilli numbers.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Seraphina