Third generation sequencing analysis detects significant differences in duodenal microbiome composition between...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Microbiome Research
• Human Health

Background:

• Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a complex gastrointestinal disorder with potential links to gut microbiome alterations.
• The role of duodenal luminal content (DLC) microbiome in FD pathogenesis requires further characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the duodenal microbiome profiles of FD patients with those of healthy controls (CG) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients.
• To identify specific microbial taxa associated with FD in the duodenal lumen.

Main Methods:

• Duodenal aspirates were collected from FD, IBS, and CG individuals.
• 16S rRNA gene sequencing on Oxford Nanopore MinION was performed for microbiome analysis.
• Alpha- and beta-diversity, and relative abundance of microbial taxa were statistically analyzed.

Main Results:

• FD patients showed significantly lower alpha-diversity in DLC compared to CG, and similar diversity to IBS patients.
• The relative abundance of Chloroflexota, Rhodothermota, and Thermotogota phyla was lower in FD patients compared to CG.
• Significant differences in microbial composition at class, order, family, genus, and species levels were observed between FD and CG groups.

Conclusions:

• Duodenal microbiome profiling reveals significant differences in diversity and composition in FD patients compared to controls.
• The observed duodenal microbiome alterations in FD are distinct from those found in IBS patients.
• Gut microbiome analysis provides insights into the pathophysiology of functional dyspepsia.