Causal relationship between Butyricimonas and allergic asthma: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Immunology
• Genetics

Background:

• The gut microbiome is associated with allergic respiratory diseases like asthma.
• The causal relationship between the gut microbiome and allergic diseases remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate potential causal associations between gut microbial genera and allergic asthma.
• To explore links between the gut microbiome and other allergic diseases.

Main Methods:

• Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data.
• Selection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables.
• Inverse variance weighted (IVW) method and sensitivity analyses to assess causality.

Main Results:

• Increased *Butyricimonas* (genus) showed a positive correlation with allergic asthma risk.
• Phylum *Bacteroidetes* and class *Bacteroidia* were negatively associated with allergic asthma risk.
• *Slackia* (genus) demonstrated potential causal effects, and *Butyricimonas* was linked to allergic rhinitis.

Conclusions:

• Identified novel gut microbial genera causally associated with allergic asthma and other allergic diseases.
• Provided new insights into the pathogenesis of allergic respiratory diseases.