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Effect of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet on the Microbiome of a Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Ulcerative Colitis Patient.

Cureus
February 9, 2018
Alanna Dubrovsky et al. (2 authors)
Case ReportsJournal ArticleHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to investigate fecal microbiome changes and symptom control in a patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).

Results Summary

The SCD led to substantial fecal microbiome changes within two weeks, including increased Enterobacteriaceae and decreased Fusobacterium ulcerans, while UC symptoms were controlled within one week. Bacterial diversity and evenness improved near healthy control levels, though species richness remained low.

Population

A 20-year-old female with UC and PSC, previously treated with high-dose oral vancomycin.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Two weeks

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)
increase
fecal bacterial composition
patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
-
substantial changes in the fecal bacterial composition detectable
#1
specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)
decrease
UC symptoms
patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
-
all UC symptoms were also controlled
#2
specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)
increase
Enterobacteriaceae, including Escherichia and Enterobacter species
patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
-
increase in Enterobacteriaceae, including Escherichia and Enterobacter species
#3
specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)
decrease
prevalence of the most dominant fecal bacterial species, Fusobacterium ulcerans
patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
two- to three-fold
two- to three-fold decrease was observed in the prevalence of the most dominant fecal bacterial species, Fusobacterium ulcerans
#4
specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)
increase
Overall species diversity and evenness
patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
levels near the controls
Overall species diversity and evenness increased to levels near the controls
#5
specific carbohydrate diet (SCD)
no change
species richness
patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
low
species richness remained low
#6
Abstract

A 20-year-old female was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) at age 14 and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) at age 16. The PSC was successfully treated with high doses of oral vancomycin; however, the UC was more difficult to manage. After many drug treatments failed to treat the UC, the patient began following the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD). This report documents fecal microbiome changes resulting from following the SCD for two weeks. The DNA extracted from fecal samples was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to quantify bacterial species abundance. Not only were substantial changes in the fecal bacterial composition detectable within two weeks, but all UC symptoms were also controlled as early as one week following the start of the diet. The patient's fecal microbiota was dramatically different from those of three healthy control subjects and showed remarkable loss of bacterial diversity in terms of species richness, evenness, and overall diversity measures. Other specific changes in bacterial composition included an increase in Enterobacteriaceae, including Escherichia and Enterobacter species. A two- to three-fold decrease was observed in the prevalence of the most dominant fecal bacterial species, Fusobacterium ulcerans, after two weeks on the SCD. Overall species diversity and evenness increased to levels near the controls, although species richness remained low. These findings provide information on the fecal bacteria from a patient with PSC and UC, following prolonged oral vancomycin treatment, and identifies a potentially specific microbial effect for the SCD.

Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality65/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations10
Citations/Year1.4
Relative Citation Ratio0.46
NIH Percentile25.2%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score0.89
Normalized Score0.67