ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2020
Human intervertebral discs harbour a unique microbiome and dysbiosis determines health and disease.
Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 72 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
72 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 98 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence for infection in intervertebral disc degeneration: a systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2022Pooled it
- Article
- IntradiscalInternational journal of spine surgery · 2026Article
- Recommendations of the International Consensus Meeting (ICM) 2025 on Spinal Infections: Part A Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis.Global spine journal · 2026Article
- LINC00324 induces nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis in intervertebral disc degeneration via miR-143-3p targeted TRAIL/DR4/DR5 axis.Biology direct · 2026Article
- IntradiscalJOR spine · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationship between gut microbiota and spinal canal stenosis: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization and hub gene study across East Asian and European populations.Asian spine journal · 2026Article
- Immunometabolism: A Novel Therapeutic Target and Its Pharmacological Modulation for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The role of electroacupuncture in modulating gut microbiota and alleviating lumbar disc herniation in rats.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Propionibacterium acnes evades microbicidal phagocytosis by inhibiting the mitochondrial biogenesis of nucleus pulposus cells.The FEBS journal · 2026Article
- A Commentary on "The Gut-Disc Axis: Unraveling the Microbiome's Role in Lumbar Disc Herniation".Neurospine · 2026Article
- Review
- Gut mucosal microbiota and local intervertebral disc immunity: candidate circulating-cytokine-independent pathways informed by Mendelian randomization evidence.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Intracellular Detection ofJOR spine · 2025Article
- The Potential Relationship Between Low Back Pain and Depression: A Comprehensive Review.Brain and behavior · 2025Review
- Microbiome impacts surgical outcomes- comparison of gut microbiome dysbiosis in patients undergoing lumbar microdiscectomy: results from the MISO pilot study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Long-Term Effectiveness of Intradiscal Culture-Expanded Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) with Platelet Products for Discogenic Low Back Pain.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Engineering Intervertebral Disc Regeneration: Biomaterials, Cell Sources and Animal Models.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Article
- A Mendelian randomization study to reveal gut-disc axis: causal associations between gut microbiota with intervertebral disc diseases.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
12 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTo document the role of sub-clinical infections in disc disorders and investigate the existence of microbiome in intervertebral discs (IVD).
methodsGenomic DNA from 24 lumbar IVDs [8-MRI normal discs (ND) from brain dead yet alive organ donors, 8-disc herniation (DH), 8-disc degeneration (DD)] was subjected to 16SrRNA sequencing for profiling the diversity of human disc microbiome in health and disease. The disc microbiome was further compared to established human gut and skin microbiomes.
resultsAll healthy MRI normal discs from brain dead yet alive organ donors also had a rich bacterial presence. A total of 424 different species (355-ND, 346-DD, and 322-DH) were detected, with 42.75% OTUs being classified at kingdom level, 44% at the phylum level, 22.62% at genus level, and 5.5% at species level. Varying biodiversity and abundance between healthy and diseased discs were documented with protective bacteria being abundant in normal discs, and putative pathogens abundant in DD and DH. Propionibacterium acnes had a similar but lower abundance to other pathogens in all three groups ND (3.07%), DD (3.88%), DH (1.56%). Fifty-eight bacteria were common between gut and IVD microbiomes, 29 between skin and IVD microbiomes, and six common to gut/skin/IVD.
conclusionOur study challenges the hitherto concept of sterility in healthy IVD and documented a microbiome even in MRI normal healthy discs. The varying abundance of bacteria between ND, DD, and DH documents 'dysbiosis' as a possible etiology of DD. Many known pathogens were identified in greater abundance than Propionibacterium acnes, and there was evidence for the presence of the gut/skin/spine microbiome axis.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.