Bile Microbiota in Patients with Pigment Common Bile Duct Stones
Boram Kim, Jin‐Seok Park, Jaewoong Bae, Nakwon Hwang
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Common bile duct (CBD) stone is one of the most prevalent gastroenterological diseases, but the role played by biliary microbiota in the pathogenesis of CBD stones remains obscure. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the biliary tract core microbiome and its potential association with the formation of pigment stones. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with biliary obstruction of various causes were enrolled. Thirteen had new-onset pigment CBD stone. Of the remaining 15, four had benign biliary stricture, four had gallbladder cancer, three had pancreatic cancer, 3 had distal CBD cancer, and one had hepatocellular carcinoma. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was used to collect bile samples for DNA extraction, 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, and bile microbiota composition analysis. RESULTS: = 0.03). However, no other significant compositional difference was observed. CONCLUSION: may play an important role in the development of pigment stones.