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Updated: Aug 21, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
Published on: October 15, 2019
Distinct gut microbiome profiles characterize obese and non-obese patients with atherosclerosis: a metagenomic
Argul Issilbayeva1, Elizaveta Vinogradova2,3, Laura Chulenbayeva2
1Laboratory of Microbiome, Center for Life Sciences, National Laboratory Astana, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Z05H0P9, Kazakhstan. isilbayeva.a@gmail.com.
Background:
Obesity is widely recognized as an aggravating risk factor for atherosclerosis (AS), yet the effects of obesity on AS-associated microbiome dysbiosis are not sufficiently characterized. This study aims to identify the contribution of obesity-related dysbiosis in AS.
Methods:
Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we studied gut microbiome composition and functional capacity across non-obese AS patients (AS-NOB, BMI < 30, n = 93), age-sex-matched non-obese controls (Ctrl-NOB, BMI < 30, n = 27), and obese AS patients (AS-OB, BMI ≥ 30, n = 68).
Results:
Gut community composition differed significantly across study groups (PERMANOVA F = 3.23, p = 0.001). Among metadata, obesity had the strongest effect (F = 3.1, p < 0.01) on the microbiome structure of AS patients. Furthermore, obese AS patients demonstrated a decrease in species richness and evenness (p < 0.05). Taxonomic and functional analysis further suggested that obesity does not simply aggravate AS-associated gut dysbiosis but instead redirects it towards a distinct community state, characterized by a Prevotella expansion that consistently opposes the rest of the bacterial community. Among AS microbiome markers, an increase was detected in Pseudomonadota (Proteobacteria), Bilophila, Dysosmobacter, and Faecalibacterium.
Conclusion:
Taken together, these results suggest that pathological expansion of Prevotella, potentially in conjunction with reduced alpha diversity, may represent a putative indicator of increased risk in AS patients, particularly within populations where the Prevotella enterotype or subtype is prevalent, warranting further investigation.
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