Irritable bowel syndrome and the gut microbiota

Abstract

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common, chronic and distressing functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) which is currently considered a dysregulation of the brain-gut axis (BGA). Multiple biological systems have been implicated in the pathophysiology of IBS, however there is currently no reliable biomarkers for this disorder and no cure. Observations that the gut microbiota of IBS patients differs from healthy controls have been made for decades as well as the role of the gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of multiple disease. The use of probiotics, antibiotics and elimination diets have been proven to be efficacious in the treatment of IBS symptoms. A subset of IBS patients develop chronic IBS symptoms after contraction of infectious gastroenteritis or after antibiotic use. Furthermore, the gut microbiota are known to modulate the BGA. We review here the history and current state of knowledge of the role that the gut microbiota plays in the pathophysiology of IBS.