Intestinal Blautia Is Associated with Reduced Death from Graft-versus-Host Disease

The relationship between intestinal microbiota composition and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic blood/marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) is not well understood. Intestinal bacteria have long been thought to contribute to GVHD pathophysiology, but recent animal studies in nontransplant settings have found that anti-inflammatory effects are mediated by certain subpopulations of intestinal commensals. Hypothesizing that a more nuanced relationship may exist between the intestinal bacteria and GVHD, we evaluated the fecal bacterial composition of 64 patients 12 days after BMT. We found that increased bacterial diversity was associated with reduced GVHD-related mortality. Furthermore,…

• LR
  Lymphoma Research Foundation
• TF
  Tow Foundation
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: R01-AI101406, R01-AI080455, R01-AI095706, K23-AI095398, R01-HL069929, R01-AI042135, P30-CA008748, P01-CA023766
• NI
  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases