Intestinal Microbiota in Diverticulosis and Acute Diverticulitis

Diverticulosis (small pockets that form in the colon) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders in Western societies. A subset of individuals with diverticulosis will develop diverticulitis, inflammation of one or a few diverticula. More than $2 billion are spent annually on the treatment of diverticulitis in the US. The intestinal microbiota are hypothesized to be involved in the pathogenesis of diverticulitis, but very few studies have examined their role. Knowledge of the intestinal microbiota in individuals with uncomplicated diverticulosis vs those with diverticulitis could lead to preventative interventions. Therefore, we profiled and compared fecal microbial communities in individuals presenting with diverticulitis to those with uncomplicated diverticulosis using high-resolution, next-generation sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene.