Preoperative Enterosignatures Predict Surgical Site Infections After Abdominal Surgery.

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Surgical infection prevention
• Gut health and immunity

Background:

• Preoperative intestinal microbiota composition is not well understood in relation to surgical site infections (SSIs) after abdominal surgery.
• Characterizing preoperative rectal microbiota could offer insights into SSI development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize preoperative rectal microbiota using Enterosignatures (ESs).
• To assess the association between ESs and SSIs in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 133 patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery.
• 16S rRNA sequencing to profile preoperative rectal microbiota.
• Calculation of ESs into 5 generalizable patterns (Bacteroides-, Firmicutes-, Prevotella-, Bifidobacterium-, or Escherichia-dominated).

Main Results:

• The Firmicutes ES was a significant risk factor for SSIs.
• The Prevotella ES was associated with a reduced risk of SSIs.
• The Firmicutes-to-Prevotella ES ratio (ES-Firm-Prev ratio) was a significant, independent predictor of SSIs (P = .005).

Conclusions:

• The ES-Firm-Prev ratio is a robust predictor of SSIs in abdominal surgery patients.
• This ratio may serve as a novel preoperative biomarker for identifying high-risk patients.