Alterations in composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: Alterations in composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota in D-IBS

The intestinal microbiota has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Due to the variable resolutions of techniques used to characterize the intestinal microbiota, and the heterogeneity of IBS, the defined alterations of the IBS intestinal microbiota are inconsistent. We analyzed the composition of the intestinal microbiota in a defined subgroup of IBS patients (diarrhea-predominant IBS, D-IBS) using a technique that provides the deepest characterization available for complex microbial communities