Researchers from Columbia University, New York in collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory, USA have identified a few signature gut microbiomes that are responsible for the development of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in individuals.
The team identified that reduction in the fatty acid butyrate producing microbes in the gut had led to the development of CFS among study individuals.
What is chronic fatigue syndrome?
CFS, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID), is a chronic metabolic disorder caused due to multiple factors.
“Identifying new biomarkers for disease would potentially allow improved identification and diagnosis of the disease, but also provide potential microbiome-immune mechanisms that could be investigated in experimental models,” Julia Oh, associate professor at The Jackson Laboratory and senior author of the study tells Happiest Health.
“Previous respiratory infections, stress, genetic predisposition, neurological alterations, immune dysfunctions and metabolic alterations could be possible factors for development of CFS, says Dr Alekhya Vempati, MD, physician at Usha Mullapudi Cardiac Hospitals, Hyderabad.
Persistent fatigue that is not alleviated by rest has been the most common symptom for CFS.
Dr Vempati adds that long-term fatigue that could last for six months results in substantial reduction in previous occupational, educational, social and personal activities in the individuals.
Not all individuals affected by chronic fatigue syndrome have similar symptoms. This is what has intrigued researchers to work on this chronic condition.
The gut microbiome link
Studying the microbiome is crucial as it has emerged as a potential cause and biomarker for ME/CFS.
Researchers screened 228 participants for their gut microbiome diversity using metagenomics and analyzed serum and stool samples. Both short-term (4 years) and long-term (10 years) CFS individuals were part of the study.
The study found that people with short-term chronic fatigue syndrome have a significant difference in their gut bacteria compared to healthy individuals. Specifically, those with short-term CFS lack the bacteria that produce fatty acid butyrate in their gut.
“We found that the short-term group had the greatest microbial dysbiosis, and the long-term cohort had returned to a state closer to that of the controls, showing more normal microbial diversity with the reacquisition of some low abundance species,” adds Julia Oh.
Butyrate is important for maintaining a healthy gut barrier and improving immune responses.
In the case of long-term CFS individuals, their gut bacteria diversity is similar to that of healthy individuals. However, analysis of their plasma revealed the production of various metabolites by their gut bacteria, which leads to lower immune responses.
The number of immune cells count was also lower in the long-term CFS individuals.
“This research demonstrates that there are robust bacterial signatures of gut dysbiosis in individuals with ME/CFS,” says Brent L Williams, an assistant professor at Columbia University and senior author of the paper in a statement.
The analysis of stool samples revealed that CFS individuals had a higher bacterial load in their samples. Specifically, researchers found a significant correlation between levels of specific gut bacteria species and the presence of the butyrate-producing bacterium Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
“While these findings don’t unequivocally demonstrate causative relationships between disturbances in the microbiome and symptoms, these microbiome-symptom relationships present potentially actionable, manipulatable targets for future therapeutic trials,” Williams adds.
Scope for intervention
Future trials could perhaps focus on dietary, probiotic, prebiotic, or synbiotic interventions and could provide direct evidence that gut bacteria influence chronic symptom presentation.
Researchers suggest conducting future studies with larger populations. These studies should include individuals with various conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and neuroinflammatory disorders. The aim is to identify the specific microbes and their metabolites that significantly contribute to the progression of these diseases.
