Gut vs. vaginal microbiome in diabetes Progression: Key microbial shifts and implications

Dysiosis in gut and vaginal microbiome is implicated in type 2 diabetes (T2D) pathogenesis, but their contributions remain unclear. This study aims to compare their alterations and clinical relevance in diabetes development.

Metagenomic sequencing was performed on vaginal and fecal samples from T2D patients. Differential feature selection and correlation model were used to dissect microbial contributions to diabetic markers.

Gut microbiota exhibited reduced diversity in T2D patients, with enrichment of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and Adlercreutzia equolifaciens validated in public cohorts. Vaginal microbiota diversity remained unaffected. Furthermore, structural equation modeling revealed stronger gut microbiota associations with blood glucose and HbA1c. Notably, Romboutsia ilealis-derived pgm was enriched in the diabetes group, which could catalyze the production of glucose, suggesting that it may be involved in the progression of T2D.

Our findings establish the gut microbiome as the dominant driver of T2D progression, with R. ilealis emerging as a potential therapeutic target. This highlights the priority of gut-centric microbiota interventions in diabetes management.