Project description:Microbial dysbiosis has been identified in adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. However, microbial composition and functional interplay between host genetics and microorganisms in early IBD onset remain poorly defined. Here, we identified and demonstrated the causal effect of Atopobium parvulum and the gut microbiota in pediatric IBD. Microbiota and proteomic profiling revealed that the abundance of A. parvulum, a potent H2S producer, was associated with increased disease severity and a concurrent reduction in the expression of the host H2S detoxification pathway. In the Il10-/- mouse model of inflammation, A. parvulum induced severe pancolitis that was dependent on the presence of the gut microbiota. In addition, we demonstrated that administration of bismuth, an H2S scavenger, prevented A. parvulum-induced colitis. Our findings identified Atopobium parvulum as a major mediator of inflammation severity, and revealed an alteration of the balance between the production and detoxification of H2S in the gastrointestinal tract.
