Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5849
Revised: January 19, 2014
Accepted: February 17, 2014
Published online: May 21, 2014
Processing time: 178 Days and 0.1 Hours
AIM: To implement high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing to study microbial diversity in the fecal matter of rats with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS).
METHODS: Intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide was used to induce ALI, and the pathological changes in the lungs and intestines were observed. D-lactate levels and diamine oxidase (DAO) activities were determined by enzymatic spectrophotometry. The fragments encompassing V4 16S rDNA hypervariable regions were PCR amplified from fecal samples, and the PCR products of V4 were sequenced by Illumina MiSeq.
RESULTS: Increased D-lactate levels and DAO activities were observed in the model group (P < 0.01). Sequencing results revealed the presence of 3780 and 4142 species in the control and model groups, respectively. The percentage of shared species was 18.8419%. Compared with the control group, the model group had a higher diversity index and a lower number of species of Fusobacteria (at the phylum level), Helicobacter and Roseburia (at the genus level) (P < 0.01). Differences in species diversity, structure, distribution and composition were found between the control group and early ARDS group.
CONCLUSION: The detection of specific bacteria allows early detection and diagnosis of ALI/ARDS.
Core tip: This experimental study evaluated the possible association between acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and intestinal microflora using an animal model and high-throughput sequencing analysis. Differences in species diversity, structure, distribution and composition were found between the control group and early ARDS group. This study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms by which changes in the intestinal mucosal barrier and host microflora may be involved in the pathogenesis of ARDS.