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Unique Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Profiles in Chinese Workers Exposed to Dust: Insights From a Case-Control Study
Xiaojun Qian1, Ying Liu, Xue Wei
1From the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei, Anhui, China (X.Q., X.W., X.C., G.R.); Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (X.Q., Y.L.); Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Third Clinical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (X.Q.); and Department of Science and Education, The Third People's Hospital of Hefei, Hefei Third Clinical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China (X.H.).
Objectives:
This study aimed to identify distinct gut microbiome and serum metabolic features in workers exposed to dust compared to healthy controls.
Methods:
A case-control study was conducted with dust-exposed workers without silicosis and age-matched healthy controls. Gut microbiome composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and serum and fecal metabolomic profiles were assessed by LC-MS.
Results:
Dust-exposed workers showed higher levels of Blautia and Trichoderma and lower levels of Anaplasma , Aspergillus , Plasmodiophoromycetes, and Escherichia coli-Shigella . Metabolites such as indole-3-acetate and gentamicin C1a were downregulated, while adenine, 2-phenylacetamide, and 4-pyridoxic acid were upregulated.
Conclusions:
Blautia spp. were linked to altered metabolites in dust-exposed workers, suggesting microbiome-metabolite interactions that may affect silicosis progression. However, the small sample size and cross-sectional design limit generalizability, and further longitudinal studies are needed.
