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:
https://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:
https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profil...

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