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Dr Petra Louis

Dr Petra Louis
Dr Petra Louis
Dr Petra Louis

Senior Research Fellow

About
Email Address
p.louis@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 438735
Office Address

Dr. Petra Louis

Microbiology Group

Gut Health Theme

The Rowett Institute

University of Aberdeen

Foresterhill

Aberdeen AB25 2ZD

School/Department
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
ORCiD

Biography

Petra Louis is a molecular microbiologist with an interest in the human gut microbiota, diet and health. She obtained her Diploma in Biology and PhD in Microbiology from the University of Bonn, Germany, where she conducted research on osmoadaptation in halophilic bacteria. She undertook post-doctoral research at the University of Aberdeen on stress responses in Escherichia coli and on RNA secondary structure melting during translation in yeast, before taking up a position as principal investigator at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen in 2002.

Her research concentrates on the metabolism of the microbial community that inhabits the human intestine and how it can be modulated by diet to improve human health, with a particular emphasis on short-chain fatty acid production from dietary non-digestible carbohydrates. She utilises a wide range of technical approaches, including strictly anaerobic microbiology, molecular microbial community analysis, -omics technologies and mathematical modelling, to investigate which microbes are instrumental for primary fibre degradation and how different microbial community members interact with each other during fibre breakdown and fermentation product formation. Her work contributes to the development of effective and personalised nutritional strategies to improve human health via actions of the gut microbiota.

 

Qualifications

  • Diploma Biology 
    1992 - University of Bonn, Germany 
  • PhD Microbiology 
    1996 - Univesity of Bonn, Germany 

Prizes and Awards

PhD thesis award of the German Society for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) 1996

Clarivate (Web of Science) highly cited researcher: 2018-2023

Member of the Rowett Gut Microbiology Group, who were runners up in the International Global Grants for Gut Health Nature Awards Research Group Prize 2023 - read more HERE

Research

Research Overview

The microbial community in the human large intestine consists of a diverse range of bacteria that break down complex nutrients of dietary and host origin. The members of this ecosystem form a complex metabolic network in which the product of one group can serve as substrate for another group. Overall, this leads to the accumulation of mainly three organic acids, acetate, propionate and butyrate, which are partially absorbed by the colon and serve as an additional energy source for the human host. Butyrate is of special interest, as it serves as the preferred energy source for the colonic wall and thus contributes to the proper functioning of the gut. It has also been claimed to be protective against colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease through effects on host gene expression and cellular development of the colon. Propionate also influences host physiology and its potential effects on host satiety is of particular interest in view of the current obesity epidemic.

Dietary intakes can influence the microbial gut community and shift the balance between different functional bacterial groups, with potential consequences for host health. Our research concentrates on the microbial metabolism of dietary non-digestible carbohydrates, with a particular emphasis on short-chain fatty acid production. We utilise are wide range of technical approaches, including strictly anaerobic microbiology of pure strains and mixed microbial consortia, molecular microbial community analysis of in vitro and human dietary studies, -omics technologies, enzymology and mathematical modelling.

 

Research Specialisms

  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Ecology

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Publications

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  • Phylogenetic distribution of three pathways for propionate production within the human gut microbiota

    Reichardt, N., Duncan, S. H., Young, P., Belenguer, A., McWilliam Leitch, C., Scott, K. P., Flint, H. J., Louis, P.
    The ISME Journal, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 1323-1335
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Phylogeny, culturing, and metagenomics of the human gut microbiota

    Walker, A. W., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    Trends in Microbiology, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 267-274
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • The impact of different DNA extraction kits and laboratories upon the assessment of human gut microbiota composition by 16S rRNA gene sequencing

    Kennedy, N. A., Walker, A. W., Berry, S. H., Duncan, S. H., Farquarson, F. M., Louis, P., Thomson, J. M., Satsangi, J., Flint, H. J., Parkhill, J., Lees, C. W., Hold, G. L., UK IBD Genetics Consortium
    PloS ONE, vol. 9, no. 2, e88982
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Faecal microbiota profiling in human volunteers on low and high fruit and vegetable intakes

    Farquharson, F. M., Ze, X., Scobbie, L., Milne, L., Duncan, S. H., Holtrop, G., Flint, H. J., Rungapamestry, V., Duthie, G. G., Bestwick, C. S., Duthie, S. J., Louis, P. G.
    ROWETT-INRA 2014 Gut Microbiology: From Sequence to Function. [P131] Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health pp. 116, 1 page.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Other Contributions

  • Functional metagenomics of human intestinal microbiome β-glucuronidase activity

    Louis, P. G. H., Dore, J.
    Encyclopedia of Metagenomics. Nelson, K. E. (ed.). Springer, pp. 1-8, 8 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters

  • Gut microbiome and obesity

    Flint, H. J., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P. G. H.
    Treatment of the obese patient. Kushner, R. F., Bessesen, D. H. (eds.). 2nd edition. Springer Science+Business Media, pp. 73-82, 10 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters

  • SATIN (Satiety Innovation) Project:: Impact of type 3 resistant starch on gut microbiota and metabolites in overweight human volunteers

    McKinnon, H., Romero Gonzalez, R. P. D. C., Fyfe, C. L., Whelan, A., Ze, X., Pesci, I., Farquharson, F. M., Louis, P. G. H., Bosscher, D., Bonnema, A., Ryan, S., Shirazi-Beechey, S. P., Harold, J., Halford, J. C., Duncan, S. H., Johnstone, A., Flint, H. J., Gratz, S.
    ROWETT-INRA 2014 Gut Microbiology: From Sequence to Function. [P143] Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health pp. 122-122, 1 page.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Other Contributions

  • Intestinal colonization: how key microbial players become established in this dynamic process

    El Aidy, S., Van den Abbeele, P., Van de Wiele, T., Louis, P., Kleerebezem, M.
    BioEssays, vol. 35, no. 10, pp. 913-923
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • How our gut microbes influence our behaviour

    Louis, P., Flint, H.
    Journal of Neuroendocrinology, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 517-518
    Contributions to Journals: Letters

  • Some are more equal than others: the role of ‘keystone’ species in the degradation of recalcitrant substrates

    Ze, X., Le Mougen, F., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    Gut Microbes, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 236-240
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Microbiota of De-Novo Pediatric IBD: Increased Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii and Reduced Bacterial Diversity in Crohn's But Not in Ulcerative Colitis

    Hansen, R., Russell, R. K., Reiff, C., Louis, P., McIntosh, F., Berry, S. H., Mukhopadhya, I., Bisset, W. M., Barclay, A. R., Bishop, J., Flynn, D. M., McGrogan, P., Loganathan, S., Mahdi, G., Flint, H. J., El-Omar, E. M., Hold, G. L.
    American journal of gastroenterology, vol. 107, no. 12, pp. 1913-1922
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Dietary modulation of the human gut microbiota

    Louis, P.
    AGRO Food Industry Hi-Tech, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 26-28
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • The role of the gut microbiota in nutrition and health

    Flint, H. J., Scott, K. P., Louis, P., Duncan, S. H.
    Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. 577-589
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Does the human gut microbiota contribute to the etiology of autism spectrum disorders?

    Louis, P.
    Digestive Diseases and Sciences, vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 1987-1989
    Contributions to Journals: Editorials

  • Microbial degradation of complex carbohydrates in the gut

    Flint, H. J., Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Forano, E.
    Gut Microbes, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 289-306
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Phylogenetic distribution of genes encoding β-glucuronidase activity in human colonic bacteria and the impact of diet on faecal glycosidase activities

    McIntosh, F. M., Maison, N., Holtrop, G., Young, P., Stevens, V. J., Ince, J., Johnstone, A. M., Lobley, G., Flint, H. J., Louis, P.
    Environmental Microbiology, vol. 14, no. 8, pp. 1876-1887
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Ruminococcus bromii is a keystone species for the degradation of resistant starch in the human colon

    Ze, X., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    The ISME Journal, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 1535-1543
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Nutritional influences on the gut microbiota and the consequences for gastrointestinal health

    Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    The Biochemical society special interest meeting, pp. 1073-1078
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Micro-organisms in the human gut: diversity and function

    Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    biochemical society focussed meeting, pp. 4-9
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Butyrate production in phylogenetically diverse Firmicutes isolated from the chicken caecum

    Eeckhaut, V., Van Immerseel, F., Croubels, S., De Baere, S., Haesebrouck, F., Ducatelle, R., Louis, P., Vandamme, P.
    Microbial Biotechnology, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 503-512
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Dominant and diet-responsive groups of bacteria within the human colonic microbiota

    Walker, A. W., Ince, J., Duncan, S. H., Webster, L., Holtrop, G., Ze, X., Brown, D., Stares, M. D., Scott, P., Bergerat, A., Louis, P., McIntosh, F., Johnstone, A. M., Lobley, G. E., Parkhill, J., Flint, H. J.
    The ISME Journal, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 220-230
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Impact of Intestinal Microbial Communities upon Health

    Flint, H. J., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P.
    Beneficial microorganisms in multicellular life forms. Rosenberg, E., Gophna, U. (eds.). Springer-Verlag, pp. 243-252, 252 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters

  • Life in the gut: microbial responses to stress in the gastrointestinal tract

    Louis, P., O'Byrne, C. P.
    Science Progress, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 7-36
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Butyric acid-producing anaerobic bacteria as a novel probiotic treatment approach for inflammatory bowel disease

    Van Immerseel, F., Ducatelle, R., De Vos, M., Boon, N., Van De Wiele, T., Verbeke, K., Rutgeerts, P., Sass, B., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    Journal of Medical Microbiology, vol. 59, no. 2, pp. 141-143
    Contributions to Journals: Editorials

  • Diversity of human colonic butyrate-producing bacteria revealed by analysis of the butyryl-CoA:acetate CoA-transferase gene

    Louis, P., Young, P., Holtrop, G., Flint, H. J.
    Environmental Microbiology, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 304-314
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Molecular diversity of B-glucuronidase gene gus in human faecal microbiota

    Maison, N., McIntosh, F. M., Young, P., Louis, P. G. H.
    Gut Microbiology: New Insights into Gut Microbial Ecosystems; Rowett-Inra 2010. Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health pp. 71-71, 1 page.
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Other Contributions

  • The role of pH in determining the species composition of the human colonic microbiota

    Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Thomson, J. M., Flint, H. J.
    Environmental Microbiology, vol. 11, no. 8, pp. 2112-2122
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Gut microbial ecology

    Flint, H. J., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P.
    Designing Functional Foods: Measuring and Controlling Food Structure, Breakdown and Nutrient Absorption. McClements, D. J., Decker, E. A. (eds.). Woodhead Publishing, pp. 38-67, 30 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters

  • Diversity, metabolism and microbial ecology of butyrate-producing bacteria from the human large intestine

    Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    FEMS Microbiology Letters, vol. 294, no. 1, pp. 1-8
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Effect of inulin on the human gut microbiota: stimulation of Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii

    Ramirez-Farias, C., Slezak, K., Fuller, Z., Duncan, A. S., Holtrop, G., Louis, P.
    British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 101, no. 4, pp. 541-550
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic, butyrate-producing bacterium isolated from the caecal content of a broiler chicken

    Eeckhaut, V., Van Immerseel, F., Teirlynck, E., Pasmans, F., Fievez, V., Snauwaert, C., Haesebrouck, F., Ducatelle, R., Louis, P., Vandamme, P.
    International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, vol. 58, no. 12, pp. 2799-2802
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Distribution of β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase activity and of β-glucuronidase gene gus in human colonic bacteria

    Dabek, M., McCrae, S. I., Stevens, V. J., Duncan, S. H., Louis, P.
    FEMS Microbiology Ecology, vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 487-495
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Human colonic microbiota associated with diet, obesity and weight loss

    Duncan, S. H., Lobley, G., Holtrop, G., Ince, J., Johnstone, A., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    International Journal of Obesity, vol. 32, no. 11, pp. 1720-1724
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Heterologous ectoine production in Escherichia coli: By-passing the metabolic bottle-neck

    Bestaver, T., Louis, P., Galinski, E. A.
    Saline Systems, vol. 4, 12
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Changes in the mucosally adherent microbial community in ulcerative colitis

    Thomson, J. M., Louis, P., Hold, G. L., Mowat, N. G., Flint, H. J., El-Omar, E. M.
    Gut, vol. 57, no. Supplement 1, pp. A150-A150
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Prebiotics and the gut microbiota: Evidence for different modes of action

    Louis, P., Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H., Flint, H. J.
    NUTRAfoods: International Journal of Science and Marketing for Nutraceutical Actives, Raw Materials, Finish Products, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 33-39
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Commensal bacteria in health and disease

    Flint, H. J., Louis, P., Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H.
    Virulence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens. Brogden, K. A., Minion, F. C., Cornick, N., Stanton, T. B., Zhang, Q., Nolan, L. K., Wannemuehler, M. J. (eds.). 4 edition. ASM Press, pp. 101-114, 4 pages
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters

  • Influence of cabbage processing methods and prebiotic manipulation of colonic microflora on glucosinolate breakdown in man

    Fuller, Z., Louis, P., Mihajlovski, A., Rungapamestry, V., Ratcliffe, B., Duncan, A. J.
    British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 98, no. 2, pp. 364-372
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Interactions and competition within the microbial community of the human colon: Links between diet and health

    Flint, H. J., Duncan, S. H., Scott, K. P., Louis, P.
    Environmental Microbiology, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 1101-1111
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Relation between phylogenetic position, lipid metabolism and butyrate production by different Butyrivibrio-like bacteria from the rumen

    Paillard, D., McKain, N., Chaudhary, L. C., Walker, N. D., Pizette, F., Koppova, I., McEwan, N. R., Kopecny, J., Vercoe, P. E., Louis, P., Wallace, R.
    Antonie van Leeuwenhoek , vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 417-422
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Understanding the effects of diet on bacterial metabolism in the large intestine

    Louis, P., Scott, K. P., Duncan, S. H., Flint, H. J.
    Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 102, no. 5, pp. 1197-1208
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Cultivable bacterial diversity from the human colon

    Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    Letters in Applied Microbiology, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 343-350
    Contributions to Journals: Literature Reviews

  • Organization of butyrate synthetic genes in human colonic bacteria: phylogenetic conservation and horizontal gene transfer

    Louis, P., McCrae, S. I., Charrier, C., Flint, H. J.
    FEMS Microbiology Letters, vol. 269, no. 2, pp. 240-247
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • 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

    Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 73, no. 6, pp. 2009-2012
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Molecular approaches to the analysis of gastrointestinal microbial ecosystems

    Flint, H. J., Leitch, E. C. M., Duncan, S. H., Walker, A. W., Patterson, A. J., Rincon, M. T., Scott, K. P., Louis, P. G. H.
    Avian Gut Function in Health and Disease. Perry, G. (ed.). CABI Publishing, pp. 107-123
    Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters

  • Proposal of Roseburia faecis sp nov., Roseburia hominis sp nov and Roseburia inulinivorans sp nov., based on isolates from human faeces

    Duncan, S. H., Aminov, R. I., Scott, K. P., Louis, P., Stanton, T. B., Flint, H. J.
    International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, vol. 56, no. 10, pp. 2437-2441
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Two routes of metabolic cross-feeding between Bifidobacterium adolescentis and butyrate-producing anaerobes from the human gut

    Belenguer, A., Duncan, S. H., Calder, A. G., Holtrop, G., Louis, P., Lobley, G., Flint, H. J.
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 3593-3599
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • A novel class of CoA-transferase involved in short-chain fatty acid metabolism in butyrate-producing human colonic bacteria

    Charrier, C., Duncan, G. J., Reid, M. D., Rucklidge, G. J., Henderson, D., Young, P., Russell, V. J., Aminov, R. I., Flint, H. J., Louis, P.
    Microbiology , vol. 152, no. 1, pp. 179-185
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Lactate-utilizing bacteria, isolated from human feces, that produce butyrate as a major fermentation product

    Duncan, S. H., Louis, P., Flint, H. J.
    Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 70, no. 10, pp. 5810-5817
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Restricted distribution of the butyrate kinase pathway among butyrate-producing bacteria from the human colon

    Louis, P., Duncan, S. H., McCrae, S. I., Millar, J., Jackson, M. S., Flint, H. J.
    Journal of Bacteriology, vol. 186, no. 7, pp. 2099-2106
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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