Introduction
There is evidence of the existence of quantitative changes in the microbiome, including Bifidobacterium spp., due to some chronic diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, or celiac disease.
Materials and Methods
We aimed to examine the number of Bifidobacterium and total bacteria present in the colon of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), as well as in healthy subjects. DNA was extracted from patients’ fecal samples and then amplified by real-time PCR to determine the number of Bifidobacterium and total bacteria. Statistical association with selected clinical and biochemical features was examined.
Results
The mean numbers of bacteria belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium in T1DM and T2DM were lower compared to the control group (p = 0.006, p < 0.001 respectively). There were no statistical differences in the total number of bacteria between all groups (p = 0.397). In the T1DM group, a significant correlation was detected between the number of bifidobacteria and age (r = 0.441, p = 0.010), as well as bifidobacteria and alanine aminotransferease (p = 0.022, r = −0.11). In the group T2DM, a correlation was observed between triglycerydes and bifidobacteria (p < 0.001, r = −0.61). Moreover, we have found a negative correlation between HBA1, glucose level, and bifidobacteria (r = −0.35, p < 0.001 and r = −0.024, p = 0.019, respectively).
Conclusions
The quantitative composition of Bifidobacterium is lower in T1DM and T2DM patients compared to the healthy controls. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship between the number of these bacteria and elements of the clinical picture of T1DM.
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