Study on the Changes of Intestinal Microflora Structure in Long-Term Night Shift Nurses

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Occupational Health
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Night shift work is prevalent in nursing, potentially impacting physiological functions.
• Alterations in the gut microbiome are linked to various health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of long-term night shift work on the gut microbiota composition of nurses.
• To compare the gut microbial profiles of night shift nurses with day shift nurses.

Main Methods:

• Fecal samples were collected from 30 night shift and 30 day shift nurses over one year.
• Bacterial 16S rDNA and fungal 18S rDNA sequencing (V3+V4 regions) were performed.
• Analysis included OTU clustering, diversity indices, flora abundance, and differential analysis.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in overall microbial diversity (OTU count, Chao, Ace, Shannon, Simpson indices) were observed between groups.
• Night shift nurses showed a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and lower abundance of Bacteroidetes at the phylum level.
• At the genus level, night shift nurses had lower levels of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, and Bifidobacterium, but higher levels of Prevotella and Megasphaera.

Conclusions:

• Long-term night shift work induces significant changes in gut microbiota composition.
• These changes involve a decrease in beneficial probiotic flora and an increase in potentially pathogenic flora.
• Nursing managers should consider scheduling and dietary interventions to mitigate adverse gut flora changes in night shift nurses.