Development of a Semiquantitative Degenerate Real-Time PCR-Based Assay for Estimation of Numbers of Butyryl-Coenzyme A (CoA) CoA Transferase Genes in Complex Bacterial Samples

We describe a new degenerate real-time PCR approach to simultaneously quantify phylogenetically different butyrate-producing bacteria based on the detection of butyryl-coenzyme A (CoA) CoA transferase genes. This pathway is present in numerically important groups of butyrate producers within the human colon, and thus this assay estimates the butyrate-producing ability of the microbiota.