Response to 'Faecal microbiota profiles as diagnostic biomarkers in primary sclerosing cholangitis by Rühlemann et al

We read with great interest and enthusiasm the letter from Rühlemann et al1 regarding the possible diagnostic role of the faecal microbial profile in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). In the study, 73 well-characterised patients with PSC were compared with 98 healthy control (HC) subjects and 88 subjects with UC in order to validate a diagnostic panel of microbial markers identified in our recent study of PSC.2 Out of 12 taxa included in a diagnostic panel, 10 were also identified in the German dataset. Using these 10 taxa, Rühlemann et al obtained the area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.86 and 0.79 for discriminating HC from PSC, and UC from PSC, respectively, validating our previous findings. Although the Veillonella genus was elevated in PSC compared with controls, as seen in our study, the abundance was similar in PSC and UC and did not have significant discriminatory...

Source: Gut - March 10, 2017 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Kummen, M., Hov, J. R. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research