The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio of the Human Microbiota Changes with Age

Overview

Journal BMC Microbiol

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2009 Jun 11

PMID 19508720

Citations 796

Authors

D Mariat

O Firmesse

F Levenez

Vd Guimaraes

H Sokol

J Dore

G Corthier

J-P Furet

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: In humans, the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of host health by providing energy, nutrients, and immunological protection. Applying current molecular methods is necessary to surmount the limitations of classical culturing techniques in order to obtain an accurate description of the microbiota composition.

Results: Here we report on the comparative assessment of human fecal microbiota from three age-groups: infants, adults and the elderly. We demonstrate that the human intestinal microbiota undergoes maturation from birth to adulthood and is further altered with ageing. The counts of major bacterial groups Clostridium leptum, Clostridium coccoides, Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli were assessed by quantitative PCR (qPCR). By comparing species diversity profiles, we observed age-related changes in the human fecal microbiota. The microbiota of infants was generally characterized by low levels of total bacteria. C. leptum and C. coccoides species were highly represented in the microbiota of infants, while elderly subjects exhibited high levels of E. coli and Bacteroidetes. We observed that the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes evolves during different life stages. For infants, adults and elderly individuals we measured ratios of 0.4, 10.9 and 0.6, respectively.

Conclusion: In this work we have confirmed that qPCR is a powerful technique in studying the diverse and complex fecal microbiota. Our work demonstrates that the fecal microbiota composition evolves throughout life, from early childhood to old age.

Citing Articles

Gut microbiota alteration was related to subclinical hypothyroidism and dyslipidemia in mice.

Wang R, Yu X, Cai H, Lu G, Gao D, Zhang M FASEB J. 2025; 39(5):e70445.

PMID: 40052844 PMC: 11887603. DOI: 10.1096/fj.202402289RR.

Gerobiotics: Exploring the Potential and Limitations of Repurposing Probiotics in Addressing Aging Hallmarks and Chronic Diseases.

Mahamud A, Tanvir I, Kabir M, Samonty I, Chowdhury M, Rahman M Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2025; .

PMID: 40029460 DOI: 10.1007/s12602-025-10501-w.

Bi-Directional Relationship Between Bile Acids (BAs) and Gut Microbiota (GM): UDCA/TUDCA, Probiotics, and Dietary Interventions in Elderly People.

Francini E, Badillo Pazmay G, Fumarola S, Procopio A, Olivieri F, Marchegiani F Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(4).

PMID: 40004221 PMC: 11855466. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26041759.

Differential Oral Microbiota and Serum Cytokine Signatures in Age-Grouped Patients with Marfan Syndrome.

Ordaz-Robles E, Soto M, Hernandez-Ruiz P, Escalona-Montano A, Constantino-Jonapa L, Amedei A Biomedicines. 2025; 13(2).

PMID: 40002744 PMC: 11853651. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines13020330.

Leaky Gut Syndrome: An Interplay Between Nutrients and Dysbiosis.

Marcari A, Paiva A, Simon C, Dos Santos M Curr Nutr Rep. 2025; 14(1):25.

PMID: 39890659 DOI: 10.1007/s13668-025-00614-7.

References

Hebuterne X . Gut changes attributed to ageing: effects on intestinal microflora. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2002; 6(1):49-54. DOI: 10.1097/00075197-200301000-00008. View

Macpherson A, Harris N . Interactions between commensal intestinal bacteria and the immune system. Nat Rev Immunol. 2004; 4(6):478-85. DOI: 10.1038/nri1373. View

Franks A, Harmsen H, Raangs G, Jansen G, Schut F, Welling G . Variations of bacterial populations in human feces measured by fluorescent in situ hybridization with group-specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1998; 64(9):3336-45. PMC: 106730. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.64.9.3336-3345.1998. View

Firmesse O, Mogenet A, Bresson J, Corthier G, Furet J . Lactobacillus rhamnosus R11 consumed in a food supplement survived human digestive transit without modifying microbiota equilibrium as assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol. 2007; 14(1-3):90-9. DOI: 10.1159/000106087. View

Lay C, Sutren M, Rochet V, Saunier K, Dore J, Rigottier-Gois L . Design and validation of 16S rRNA probes to enumerate members of the Clostridium leptum subgroup in human faecal microbiota. Environ Microbiol. 2005; 7(7):933-46. DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00763.x. View

Ley R, Turnbaugh P, Klein S, Gordon J . Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity. Nature. 2006; 444(7122):1022-3. DOI: 10.1038/4441022a. View

Lay C, Rigottier-Gois L, Holmstrom K, Rajilic M, Vaughan E, de Vos W . Colonic microbiota signatures across five northern European countries. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005; 71(7):4153-5. PMC: 1169042. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.71.7.4153-4155.2005. View

Manichanh C, Rigottier-Gois L, Bonnaud E, Gloux K, Pelletier E, Frangeul L . Reduced diversity of faecal microbiota in Crohn's disease revealed by a metagenomic approach. Gut. 2005; 55(2):205-11. PMC: 1856500. DOI: 10.1136/gut.2005.073817. View

Blaut M, Collins M, Welling G, Dore J, Van Loo J, de Vos W . Molecular biological methods for studying the gut microbiota: the EU human gut flora project. Br J Nutr. 2002; 87 Suppl 2:S203-11. DOI: 10.1079/BJNBJN/2002539. View

10.

van Tongeren S, Slaets J, Harmsen H, Welling G . Fecal microbiota composition and frailty. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005; 71(10):6438-42. PMC: 1265947. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.71.10.6438-6442.2005. View

11.

Zoetendal E, Collier C, Koike S, Mackie R, Gaskins H . Molecular ecological analysis of the gastrointestinal microbiota: a review. J Nutr. 2004; 134(2):465-72. DOI: 10.1093/jn/134.2.465. View

12.

Harmsen H, Raangs G, He T, Degener J, Welling G . Extensive set of 16S rRNA-based probes for detection of bacteria in human feces. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002; 68(6):2982-90. PMC: 123985. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.6.2982-2990.2002. View

13.

Bartosch S, Fite A, Macfarlane G, McMurdo M . Characterization of bacterial communities in feces from healthy elderly volunteers and hospitalized elderly patients by using real-time PCR and effects of antibiotic treatment on the fecal microbiota. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004; 70(6):3575-81. PMC: 427772. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.6.3575-3581.2004. View

14.

Saunier K, Dore J . Gastrointestinal tract and the elderly: functional foods, gut microflora and healthy ageing. Dig Liver Dis. 2002; 34 Suppl 2:S19-24. DOI: 10.1016/s1590-8658(02)80158-x. View

15.

He F, Ouwehand A, Isolauri E, Hosoda M, Benno Y, Salminen S . Differences in composition and mucosal adhesion of bifidobacteria isolated from healthy adults and healthy seniors. Curr Microbiol. 2001; 43(5):351-4. DOI: 10.1007/s002840010315. View

16.

Harmsen H, Raangs G, Wagendorp A, Klijn N, Bindels J, Welling G . Analysis of intestinal flora development in breast-fed and formula-fed infants by using molecular identification and detection methods. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2000; 30(1):61-7. DOI: 10.1097/00005176-200001000-00019. View

17.

Palmer C, Bik E, DiGiulio D, Relman D, Brown P . Development of the human infant intestinal microbiota. PLoS Biol. 2007; 5(7):e177. PMC: 1896187. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0050177. View

18.

Woodmansey E . Intestinal bacteria and ageing. J Appl Microbiol. 2007; 102(5):1178-86. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03400.x. View

19.

Backhed F, Ley R, Sonnenburg J, Peterson D, Gordon J . Host-bacterial mutualism in the human intestine. Science. 2005; 307(5717):1915-20. DOI: 10.1126/science.1104816. View

20.

Haarman M, Knol J . Quantitative real-time PCR analysis of fecal Lactobacillus species in infants receiving a prebiotic infant formula. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006; 72(4):2359-65. PMC: 1448991. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.72.4.2359-2365.2006. View