Intestinal integrity and Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin-degrading member of the intestinal microbiota present in infants, adults, and the elderly

Abstract

Fluorescence in situ hybridization and real-time PCR analysis targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Akkermansia muciniphila were performed to determine its presence in the human intestinal tract. These techniques revealed that an A. muciniphila-like bacterium is a common member of the human intestinal tract and that its colonization starts in early life and develops within a year to a level close to that observed in adults (10(8) cells/g) but decreases (P < 0.05) in the elderly.

FIG. 1.

A. muciniphila levels in human fecal samples as determined by real-time PCR over a life span. Data represent the positive samples. The line in the box represents the median (50th percentile), with the lower line the 25% border (25th percentile) and the upper line the 75% border (75th percentile). The end of the upper vertical line represents the maximum data value, outliers not considered. The end of the lower vertical line represents the lowest value, outliers not considered. The separate dots indicate outliers.