Gut Biome and Graft-versus-Host Disease: Do Organisms in the Gut Contribute to GVHD?

Summary: The overall health of the gut microbiome and its organisms can influence the prevalence and severity of graft-versus-host disease. This presentation reviews the causes and mechanisms of how organisms in the gut can affect GVHD and reviews potential strategies to minimize this problem.
Presenter: Robert Jenq MD, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Many thanks to Incyte and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals whose support helped make this Survivorship Symposium possible.
To read the transcript, go to:
bmtinfonet.org/video/gut-biom...
Highlights:
Having a stem cell transplant can temporarily reduce microbiome diversity.
Patients with more diverse microbiome have a decreased risk of death due to GVHD
Avoiding antibiotics that reduce diversity in the gut microbiome and supporting the gut biome with
a well-balanced diet can help prevent a sequence of events that can worsen GVHD.
May 2024, Part of the Virtual Celebrating a Second Chance at Life Survivorship Symposium 2024
Presentation is 40 minutes long with 19 minutes of Q & A
Key Points:
(08:10): Patients with more diverse microbiomes have improved overall survival.
(08:47): This improved survival probably reflects differences in GVHD related mortality.
(09:15): Certain antibiotics that are used in transplant patients can decrease the diversity of the microbiome.
(11:05): In one study, patients receiving a strong antibiotic called meropenem developed GVHD at much higher rates than those that did not receive that medication.
(14:57): A bacteria called bacteroides thetaiotaomicron can thin mucus in the intestinal layers and lead to more severe GVHD.
(17:58): One study found that patients with more bacteroides in their stool responded better to steroid treatment for GHVD than those who had less bacteriodies.
(20:41): A sub-type of bacteria called B. ovatus was found to prevent thinning of mucus in the gut.
(25:08): In human patients receiving a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy can suppress appetite and impair nutrition which also impairs the gut bacteria.
(28:13): Probiotics are not very beneficial in restoring the bacteria in microbiome needed to reduce the risk of severe GVHD.
(29:45): Fecal transplantation via capsules has more promise for restoring or maintaining a healthy gut biome.
Meet the speaker:
faculty.mdanderson.org/profil...
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