Informed Therapeutic Microbiome Modulation for Post-Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Pilot Experience of a Microbiome Clinic.

All cases receiving targeted microbiome-informed treatment achieved treatment response compared to just over half of controls.

• 13/13 cases (100%) experienced treatment response versus 11/20 controls (55%)
• Treatment response was defined as a decrease in IBS-Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) of ≥50 points
• Difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0001)
• This was a case-control study design with 13 cases and 20 controls

Mean IBS-SSS scores after treatment were significantly lower in cases receiving targeted microbiome modulation than in controls receiving standard therapy.

• Mean IBS-SSS score after treatment was 163 in cases compared to 231 in controls
• Difference was statistically significant (p = 0.01)
• Cases received targeted microbial modulation informed by microbiome profiling
• Controls were managed by standard therapy

Untargeted microbiome modulation has previously achieved conflicting results in post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS).

• This limitation of prior approaches motivated the use of microbiome profiling to inform targeted treatment in the current study
• The study is described as a 'pilot experience of a microbiome clinic'
• The authors note that further studies are needed to clarify the role of therapeutic microbiome modulation