SURGIcal COmplication and MIcrobiome ChangeS in Colorectal Surgery

Plain-language summary

The microbiome, the collection of microorganisms that live in our gut, plays an important role in maintaining our health, proper nutrient absorption, nutrient turnover and immunity. After birth, a symbiotic relationship develops with the strains of bacteria that colonise our gut, and the presence and proportion of bacteria is individualised and highly variable. A healthy bacterial flora is essential for the cells of the intestinal mucosa. Glycoproteins in the cell surface mucus coat are important nutrients for bacteria, while some bacterial strains supply mucosal cells with nutrient molecules (e.g. short-chain fatty acids) that are their essential energy source. An abnormal change in the proportion of bacterial strains that make up the microbiome, dysbacteriosis, in which pathogenic bacteria proliferate at the expense of members of the normal flora, can cause a number of pathologies. Nutrient supply to the cells of the mucosa is reduced, making them more vulnerable and leading to various pathological conditions. The microbiome and the essential nutrients they produce have also been found to play an important role in wound healing. A decrease in the diversity of the microbiome, an increase in the relative number of pathogenic bacteria and a decrease in the proportion of 'beneficial' bacteria increases the risk of surgical complications of infection and suture failure.

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