Esophageal Microbiota and Nutritional Intakes in Patients With Achalasia Before and After Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy
Da Hyun Jung, Young Hoon Youn, Do Hoon Kim, Chul‐Hyun Lim, Hee‐Sook Lim, Hee Seok Moon, Ju Yup Lee, Hyojin Park, Su Jin Hong
Abstract
Background/Aims: The composition of the microbiota in the esophagus is only partially understood, especially in patients with achalasia. We aim to investigate the esophageal microbial community and nutritional intakes in patients with achalasia before and after peroral endoscopic myotomies (POEM). Methods: Twenty-nine patients were prospectively enrolled from 4 referral institutions across Korea. We collected esophageal samples (mucosal biopsies and retention fluid) and conducted dietary surveys for nutritional intake before and 8 weeks after POEM. The esophageal microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region. Results: was the most abundant in all groups. The observed operational taxonomic unit number was significantly higher in the retention fluid than in the tissue biopsies. However, the esophageal microbial composition showed no significant changes 8 weeks post POEM. The dietary survey analysis showed that nutritional intake significantly improved post POEM. Conclusion: This study determined the unique esophageal microbial composition of patients with achalasia, and also found that the microbial composition did not significantly change after POEM in the short-term, despite a significant improvement in the nutritional intake.