The proximal digestive tract microbiota of gluten sensitive individuals: strain-level comparative analyses of oral and duodenal microbiota

The oral microbiota can serve as a microbial reservoir that inoculates the small intestine (SI). This could be relevant for celiac disease (CD) patients in whom responsiveness to dietary gluten in the duodenum induces mucosal damage and malfunctioning that underlie the disease-associated complaints. We studied the oral (saliva samples) and duodenal (aspirate samples) microbiota in individuals with CD, obtained during a clinical trial that included a placebo-controlled probiotic intervention alongside a gluten challenge.