Predominance of Escherichia-Shigella in Gut Microbiome and Its Potential Correlation with Elevated Level of Plasma Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Patients with Tuberculous MeningitisOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers compared gut microbiota composition and blood cytokine profiles across three groups: patients with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, and healthy controls.
How was it studied?
After identifying dysbiosis in TBM patients, the team isolated a fecal bacterial isolate and commensal Escherichia coli from a TBM patient and gave it by oral gavage to mice, then infected the mice with Mycobacterium tuberculosis to model the gut brain relationship.
What did they find?
TBM patients had gut dysbiosis marked by a high proportion of Escherichia-Shigella species plus elevated plasma TNF-α and IL-6. In mice, E. coli gavage raised blood TNF-α, downregulated the tight junction protein claudin-5, and increased brain bacterial burden and central nervous system inflammation after M. tuberculosis infection.
Why it matters
The findings suggest gut microbiota dysbiosis, particularly E. coli overgrowth, may worsen TBM by weakening the blood brain barrier and amplifying inflammation, pointing to gut microbiota modulation as a possible therapeutic and biomarker strategy.