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Author Spotlight: Exploring Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease
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Association between Parkinson's disease and the faecal eukaryotic microbiota
Severin Weis1, Alexandra Meisner1, Andreas Schwiertz2
1Faculty of Medical and Life Sciences, Institute of Precision Medicine, Microbiology and Hygiene Group, Furtwangen University, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.
NPJ Parkinson'S Disease
|November 19, 2021
Summary
Parkinson's disease (PD) is linked to altered gut eukaryotic diversity. Fungal genus Geotrichum was significantly more abundant in PD patients, suggesting a potential role in the neurodegenerative disease.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder with no cure.
- Gastrointestinal dysfunctions, including constipation, often precede motor symptoms in PD patients.
- Previous research has explored the impact of PD and medications on gut bacterial communities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the eukaryotic gut microbiota composition in Parkinson's disease patients.
- To compare eukaryotic diversity and abundance between PD patients and healthy controls.
- To identify specific eukaryotic microorganisms associated with Parkinson's disease.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of eukaryotic 18S rRNA genes from fecal samples of 34 German PD patients and 25 age-matched controls.
- Utilized Illumina MiSeq platform for sequencing the V6 and V7 hypervariable regions.
- Community analyses were performed on samples yielding sufficient amplicons.
Main Results:
- Parkinson's disease samples exhibited significantly lower alpha and different beta eukaryotic diversity compared to controls.
- A significantly higher relative abundance of the Geotrichum genus was observed in PD samples (39.7%) versus controls (0.05%).
- Lower relative abundances of Aspergillus/Penicillium, Charophyta/Linum, and other specific eukaryotic groups were noted in PD patients.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals distinct eukaryotic gut microbial profiles in Parkinson's disease patients.
- The increased abundance of Geotrichum in PD patients suggests a potential association with the disease.
- Findings contribute to understanding the gut eukaryotic microbiota's role in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.
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