MHE-associated gut microbiota Targeted Locus. uncultured bacterium

Gut flora, especially urease-containing bacteria, play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of MHE; yet, its basic feature in MHE patients remains unclear. We aimed to decipher the MHE gut microbiome for ammonia-increasing bacteria. We applied multiplexed barcoded bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene pyrosequencing from feces samples of 77 subjects, including 26 minimal hepatic encephalopathy patients and their matched healthy relatives, as well as 25 cirrhosis patients without minimal hepatic encephalopathy to improve our understanding of gut microbiota related to the occurrence of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis patients.