Sex Differences in Colonic Mucosal Microbiome of Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients Compared to Healthy Controls

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a female-predominant disorder of brain-gut interactions. Our previous study on colonic mucosal microbiota demonstrated significant differences between IBS bowel habit subtypes and showed that gut microbiota is associated with abdominal pain in IBS patients. However, there is no consensus on sex-related differences in mucosal microbiota in IBS compared to healthy controls (HC). We aimed to identify sex-related differences in the mucosal microbes associated with IBS.