Changing the gut health game: CMUH unveils precision microbiome analyzer

10 Apr 2024 --- China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) has developed a top-of-the-line microflora analyzer, Intelligent Microbiome Evaluation (iME), to test ten of the most common intestinal pathogens and probiotics and carry out risk predictions for 12 diseases related to intestinal microflora.

“There are approximately forty trillion bacteria in the human body, and the intestinal microflora can be beneficial, neutral or harmful to their host. Lactobacteria and Bifidobacteria are common beneficial bacteria, most of the commensal microbes are neutral but their nature can change with body condition, and harmful microbes include C. difficile and Salmonella sp.,” says Dr. Po-Ren Hsueh, superintendent of CMUH’s Laboratory Medicine.

Third-generation gene sequencing
The iME microflora analyzer is powered by a third-generation full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology that can perform high-precision variable analysis of the flora compositions and potential changes.

iME can detect intestinal pathogens at a 1/10,000 ratio. At present, gastrointestinal examinations and stool tests are the norm, but whether they are invasive or non-invasive, there are limitations to the number of pathogens available in the samples. These are often too low for culture or detection and lead to adverse polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results, a technique used to detect microorganisms.

“C. difficile, with a 1–5% prevalence in our population, is a primary cause of acute or persistent diarrhea, affecting up to 20% of hospitalized patients. Prolonged antibiotic use can disrupt the normal microflora, allowing antibiotic-resistant C. difficile to proliferate and cause gut discomfort,” says Dr. Wen-Yuan Lin, vice head of CMUH’s Center of Health Evaluation and Promotion. 

“If left untreated, its toxin can damage the intestinal mucosa, causing severe diarrhea, and in serious cases, even bowel perforation, shock and sepsis.” 

Microflora and diet
The CMUH team stresses the link between intestinal microflora and the diet. For example, sukiyaki with raw egg carries a risk of Salmonella infection. Individuals with poor drinking water hygiene may increase the risk of Plesiomonas infection. 

The team urges everyone to have routine gut health check-ups, like iME, to enable early treatment and facilitate lifestyle changes for better overall health and quality of life.

Research from the University of Oxford, UK, shows that diverse communities of resident bacteria can protect the human gut from harmful pathogens by consuming nutrients that these disease-causing microorganisms need. 

Meanwhile, a research team from Austria provided conclusive evidence that eating fruit and vegetables contributes to bacterial diversity in the human microbiome, which is critical to good health. The sources of bacterial diversity have not been conclusive until now; however, diversity is known to be essential to human health.

In addition, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences explored the effect of gut microorganisms on the onset of disease, which they believe will facilitate early detection and improved treatments, especially for cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

By Inga de Jong