A Shigella species variant is causally linked to intractable functional constipation.

ABSTRACT: Intractable functional constipation (IFC) is the most severe form of constipation, but its etiology has long been unknown. We hypothesized that IFC is caused by refractory infection by a pathogenic bacterium. Here, we isolated from patients with IFC a Shigella species - peristaltic contraction-inhibiting bacterium (PIB) - that significantly inhibited peristaltic contraction of the colon by production of docosapentenoic acid (DPA). PIB colonized mice for at least 6 months. Oral administration of PIB was sufficient to induce constipation, which was reversed by PIB-specific phages. A mutated PIB with reduced DPA was incapable of inhibiting colonic function and inducing constipation, suggesting that DPA produced by PIB was the key mediator of the genesis of constipation. PIBs were detected in

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9282927 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature