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Objective Becoming overweight has been related to elevated levels of Enterobacteriales in the gut. d-Fagomine is an iminosugar that has been shown to selectively agglutinate Enterobacteriales in vitro. The goal of this work is to establish whether d-fagomine exerts a similar effect in vivo and whether this has any downstream consequences on weight gain. Methods The rats were fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet (HFHS) supplemented with d-fagomine (or not; for comparison) or a standard diet for 5 weeks. The levels of total bacteria, Enterobacteriales and Escherichia coli were determined in fecal samples by performing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions on DNA. Results Whereas the total levels of bacteria were independent of the diet, rats fed HFHS (without d-fagomine) excreted significantly higher proportions of Enterobacteriales and E. coli than those fed a standard diet. The levels of Enterobacteriales and E. coli of the rats given HFHS with d-fagomine were similar to those of the rats fed a standard diet. Compared to the standard group, rats fed HFHS with d-fagomine gained significantly less weight (15.3%) than those fed HFHS (20.9%). Conclusion d-Fagomine reduces the amount of Enterobacteriales excreted by rats fed HFHS and this may help to avert becoming obese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Effect of D-Fagomine on Excreted Enterobacteria and Weight Gain in Rats Fed a High-Fat High-Sucrose Diet" published in a 2014 issue of the journal is presented.