PR95697

LYON, France, May 3, 2022, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

A new study has identified strains of gut microbiota that are associated with

more severe strokes and worse post-stroke recovery, revealing that the gut

microbiome could be an important factor in stroke risk and outcomes.

The study, presented today at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC

2022) pinpointed specific groups of bacteria associated with poorer

neurological recovery from ischaemic stroke both in the acute phase (24 hours)

and after three months.

The research identified multiple types of bacteria were associated with

ischemic stroke risk, including Fusobacterium and Lactobacillus.

Negativibacillus and Lentisphaeria were associated with a more severe stroke in

the acute phase (at 6 and 24 hours respectively) and Acidaminococcus related to

poor functional outcomes at three months.

Dr Miquel Lledós, lead author from the Sant Pau Research Institute Stroke

Pharmacogenomics and Genetics Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain, commented "The

influence of the gut microbiome – the trillions of bacteria and other

microorganisms that live in the gut – is a modifiable risk factor associated

with the risk of stroke and with post-stroke neurological outcomes. However,

most research has previously been done in animal models."

"In this study we took faecal samples – the first samples taken after the event

– from 89 humans who'd suffered an ischaemic stroke. Comparing with a control

group, we were able to identify multiple groups of bacteria that were

associated with a higher risk of ischaemic stroke."

An ischaemic stroke occurs when a clot or other blockage blocks the blood

supply to the brain and is the most common type of stroke. In Europe, 1.3

million people suffer a stroke every year and it is the second most common

single cause of death.

"The discovery opens the exciting prospect that, in the future, we may be able

to prevent strokes or improve neurological recovery by examining the gut

microbiota. In other pathologies, clinical trials are being carried out where

researchers replace the intestinal flora through dietary changes or faecal

transplantation from healthy individuals and this should be studied further in

the stroke field."

Source: European Stroke Organisation