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Abstract Purpose To determine the association of gut microbiome diversity and sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) amongst patients with pre-existing diabetes. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed, wherein 54 participants selected in total were placed into cases cohort if diagnosed with STDR and those without STDR but had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus of at least 10-year duration were taken as controls. Statistical analysis comparing the gut microbial alpha diversity between cases and control groups as well as patients differentiated based on previously hypothesized Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes(B/F) ratio with an optimal cut-off 1.05 to identify patients with STDR were performed. Results Comparing gut microbial alpha diversity did not show any difference between cases and control groups. However, statistically significant difference was noted amongst patients with B/F ratio ≥1.05 when compared to B/F ratio 1.05:728.03 ± 227.37; p-0.016]; Chao1index [Cut-off 1.05:728.13 ± 227.58; p-0.016]; Simpson index [Cut-off 1.05:0.997 ± 0.001; p-0.006]; Shannon index [Cut-off 1.05:6.10 ± 0.43; p-0.003]. Sub-group analysis showed that cases with B/F ratio ≥ 1.05, divided into proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and clinically significant macular edema (CSME), showed decreased diversity compared to controls (B/F ratio

Abstract Mounting evidence of the occurrence of direct and indirect interactions between the human blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni, and the gut microbiota of rodent models raises questions on the potential role(s) of the latter in the pathophysiology of hepatointestinal schistosomiasis. However, substantial differences in both the composition and function between the gut microbiota of laboratory rodents and that of humans hinders an in-depth understanding of the significance of such interactions for human schistosomiasis. Taking advantage of the availability of a human microbiota-associated mouse model (HMA), we have previously highlighted differences in infection-associated changes in gut microbiota composition between HMA and wildtype (WT) mice. To further explore the dynamics of schistosome-microbiota relationships in HMA mice, in this study we (i) characterize qualitative and quantitative changes in gut microbiota composition of a distinct line of HMA mice (D2 HMA) infected with S. mansoni prior to and following the onset of parasite egg production; (ii) profile local and systemic immune responses against the parasite in HMA as well as WT mice and (iii) assess levels of faecal inflammatory markers and occult blood as indirect measures of gut tissue damage. We show that patent S. mansoni infection is associated with reduced bacterial alpha diversity in the gut of D2 HMA mice, alongside expansion of hydrogen sulphide-producing bacteria. Similar systemic humoral responses against S. mansoni in WT and D2 HMA mice, as well as levels of faecal lipocalin and markers of alternatively activated macrophages, suggest that these are independent of baseline gut microbiota composition. Qualitative comparative analyses between faecal microbial profiles of S. mansoni-infected WT and distinct lines of HMA mice reveal that, while infection-induced alterations of the gut microbiota composition are highly dependent on the baseline flora, bile acid composition and metabolism may represent key elements of schistosome-microbiota interactions through the gut-liver axis.

ABSTRACT Locusta migratoria is an important phytophagous pest, and its gut microbial communities play an important role in cellulose degradation. In this study, the gut microbial and cellulose digestibility dynamics of Locusta migratoria were jointly analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and anthrone colorimetry. The results showed that the gut microbial diversity and cellulose digestibility across life stages were dynamically changing. The species richness of gut bacteria was significantly higher in eggs than in larvae and imago, the species richness and cellulose digestibility of gut bacteria were significantly higher in early larvae (first and second instars) than in late larvae (third to fifth instars), and the diversity of gut bacteria and cellulose digestibility were significantly higher in imago than in late larvae. There is a correlation between the dynamics of gut bacterial communities and cellulose digestibility. Enterobacter, Lactococcus, and Pseudomonas are the most abundant genera throughout all life stages. Six strains of highly efficient cellulolytic bacteria were screened, which were dominant gut bacteria. Carboxymethyl cellulase activity (CMCA) and filter paper activity (FPA) experiments revealed that Pseudomonas had the highest cellulase enzyme activity. This study provides a new way for the screening of cellulolytic bacteria and lays the foundation for developing insects with significant biomass into cellulose-degrading bioreactors.IMPORTANCECellulose is the most abundant and cheapest renewable resource in nature, but its degradation is difficult, so finding efficient cellulose degradation methods is an urgent challenge. Locusta migratoria is a large group of agricultural pests, and the large number of microorganisms that inhabit their intestinal tracts play an important role in cellulose degradation. We analyzed the dynamics of Locusta migratoria gut microbial communities and cellulose digestibility using a combination of high-throughput sequencing technology and anthrone colorimetry. The results revealed that the gut microbial diversity and cellulose digestibility were dynamically changed at different life stages. In addition, we explored the intestinal bacterial community of Locusta migratoria across life stages and its correlation with cellulose digestibility. The dominant bacterial genera at different life stages of Locusta migratoria were uncovered and their carboxymethyl cellulase activity (CMCA) and filter paper activity (FPA) were determined. This study provides a new avenue for screening cellulolytic bacteria and lays the foundation for developing insects with significant biomass into cellulose-degrading bioreactors.

Background Gut dysbiosis in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients causes chronic inflammation and metabolic disorders which result in a series of complications, probably playing an important role in PD technique failure. The reduction in gut microbial diversity was a common feature of gut dysbiosis. The objective was to explore the relationship between gut microbial diversity and technique failure in PD patients.Methods The gut microbiota was analyzed by 16s ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify association between gut microbial diversity and technique failure in PD patients.Results In this study, a total of 101 PD patients were enrolled. During a median follow-up of 38 months, we found that lower diversity was independently associated with a higher risk of technique failure (hazard ratio [HR], 2.682; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.319–5.456; p = 0.006). In addition, older age (HR, 1.034; 95% CI, 1.005–1.063; p = 0.020) and the history of diabetes (HR, 5.547; 95% CI, 2.218–13.876; p

BackgroundEmerging evidence is revealing the impact of the gut microbiome on hematopoietic and solid organ transplantation. Prior studies postulate that this influence is mediated by bioactive metabolites produced by gut-dwelling commensal bacteria. However, gut microbial metabolite production has not previously been measured among heart transplant (HT) recipients.MethodsIn order to investigate the potential influence of the gut microbiome and its metabolites on HT, we analyzed the composition and metabolite production of the fecal microbiome among 48 HT recipients at the time of HT.ResultsCompared to 20 healthy donors, HT recipients have significantly reduced alpha, i.e. within-sample, microbiota diversity, with significantly lower abundances of key anaerobic commensal bacteria and higher abundances of potentially pathogenic taxa that have been correlated with adverse outcomes in other forms of transplantation. HT recipients have a wide range of microbiota-derived fecal metabolite concentrations, with significantly reduced levels of immune modulatory metabolites such as short chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids compared to healthy donors. These differences were likely due to disease severity and prior antibiotic exposures but were not explained by other demographic or clinical factors.ConclusionsKey potentially immune modulatory gut microbial metabolites are quantifiable and significantly reduced among HT recipients compared to healthy donors. Further study is needed to understand whether this wide range of gut microbial dysbiosis and metabolite alterations impact clinical outcomes and if they can be used as predictive biomarkers or manipulated to improve transplant outcomes.

In this paper, we present the metagenomic dataset of gut microbial DNA of the lower group of subterranean termites, i.e. Coptotermes gestroi, and the higher groups, i.e. Globitermes sulphureus and Macrotermes gilvus, in Penang, Malaysia. Two replicates of each species were sequenced using Next-Generation Sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) and analysed via QIIME2. The results returned with 210,248 sequences in C. gestroi, 224,972 in G. sulphureus, and 249,549 in M. gilvus. The sequence data were deposited in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) under BioProject number of PRJNA896747. The community analysis showed that Bacteroidota is the most abundant phylum in C. gestroi and M. gilvus, while Spirochaetota is prevalent in G. sulphureus.

Zhimin Su,1,2 Linbin Lu,1 Fuyu Chen,3 Jianhui Chen,4 Xiong Chen1 1Department of Oncology, 900th Hospital of PLA, Fuzong Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350024, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Oncology, Xiamen Branch, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Xiamen, 361015, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Substation Maintenance Center, State Grid Quanzhou Electric Power Supply Company, Quanzhou, 362000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Urology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, 350024, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiong ChenDepartment of Oncology, 900th Hospital of PLA, Fuzong Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, 156 North Xierhuan Road, Fuzhou, 350024, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail cxiongzpc@fjmu.edu.cnIntroduction: Sunitinib-induced diarrhea seriously affects the prognosis of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and reduces their quality of life. We aim to explore and find the relationship between sunitinib-induced diarrhea and gut microbiota.Methods: Feces were collected from 31 mRCC patients receiving sunitinib treatment. To characterize the feces gut microbiome profiles of patients, the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA sequencing was carried out in this study.Results: Gut microbial diversity was decreased both in the severe diarrhea group and in the sunitinib-post group. The microbial composition with higher abundance of Bacteroides (mucus degrading bacteria) and lower abundance of Faecalibacterium, Oscillospira, Ruminococcaceae, Eubacterium and Coriobacteriaceae (butyrate-producing bacteria) were found in patients with diarrhea. Interestingly, the abundance of Actinobacteria was decreased in patients receiving sunitinib with severe diarrhea.Conclusion: This study reported an association between gut microbiota and sunitinib-induced diarrhea. Defects of the butyrate-producing bacteria and the increase in Bacteroides may be the physiological basis of sunitinib-induced diarrhea.Keywords: sunitinib-induced diarrhea, 16S rRNA sequencing, gut microbial diversity, butyrate-producing bacteria

Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a migratory agricultural pest that is devastating on a global scale. Beauveria bassiana is a filamentous entomopathogenic fungus that has a strong pathogenic effect on Lepidoptera pests but little is known about the microbial community in the host gut and the dominant populations in fungus-infected insects. B. bassiana AJS91881 was isolated and identified from the infected larvae of Spodoptera litura. The virulence of AJS91881 to the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of S. frugiperda was measured. Moreover, the gut microbial community diversity of healthy and fungus-infected insects was analyzed. Our results showed that after treatment with B. bassiana AJS91881, the egg hatching rate, larval survival rate and adult lifespan of the insects were significantly reduced, and the pupae rigor rate was significantly increased compared to that of the control group. Additionally, the gut microbial community was reconstructed after B. bassiana infection. At the phylum and genus level, the relative abundance of the Proteobacteria and Serratia increased significantly in the B. bassiana treatment group. The KEGG function prediction results showed that fungal infection affected insect gut metabolism, environmental information processing, genetic information processing, organism systems and cellular processes. Fungal infection was closely related to the metabolism of various substances in the insect gut. Serratia marcescens was the bacterium with the highest relative abundance after infection by B. bassiana; intestinal bacteria S. marcescens inhibited the infection of insect fungi B. bassiana against the S. frugiperda. The presence of gut bacteria also significantly reduced the virulence of the fungi against the insects when compared to the group with the larvae fed antibiotics that were infected with fungal suspension (Germfree, GF) and healthy larvae that were infected with fungal suspension prepared with an antibiotic solution (+antibiotic). In conclusion, the reconstruction of the insect intestinal bacterial community is an indispensable link for understanding the pathogenicity of B. bassiana against S. frugiperda. Most importantly, in the later stage of fungal infection, the increased abundance of S. marcescens in the insect intestine inhibited the virulence of B. bassiana to some extent. The findings aid in understanding changes in the gut microbiota during the early stages of entomopathogenic fungal infection of insects and the involvement of insect gut microbes in host defense mediated by pathogenic fungal infection. This study is also conducive to understanding the interaction between entomopathogenic fungi, hosts and gut microbes, and provides a new idea for the joint use of entomopathogenic fungi and gut bacteria to control pests.

Phages, which are often used therapeutically, have begun to receive interest as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) for enhancing chicken growth. Another option that has been extensively studied as a growth promoter in chickens is probiotics. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no study available on the use of phages and probiotics in combination as potential feed additives for broiler chickens. Therefore, this study demonstrated the effects of a phage cocktail, probiotics, and their combination on the growth performance and gut microbiota of broiler chickens. A total of 288 one-day-old male Cobb 500 broilers were randomly allotted to one of six treatments in a completely randomised design. The treatments were (i) C (basal diet (BD) only), (ii) 1ϕ (BD + 0.1% phage cocktail), (iii) 2ϕ (BD + 0.2% phage cocktail), (iv) P (BD + 0.1% probiotic), (v) 1ϕP (BD + 0.1% phage cocktail + 0.1% probiotic), and (vi) 2ϕP (BD + 0.2% phage cocktail + 0.1% probiotic). The 1ϕP treatment had significantly (p < 0.05) better BW (35 days), BWG (22–35 days, 1–35 days), and FCR (1–21 days, 22–35 days, 1–35 days) compared to C. Unique gut microbiota diversity was also found between the ϕP (1ϕP and 2ϕP) and non-ϕP groups (C, 1ϕ, 2ϕ, and P) in ilea, particularly in the 35-day-old chickens. Microorganisms associated with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers were significantly (p < 0.05) more present in the ϕP group than in the non-ϕP group. The predicted genes related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism were significantly upregulated in ϕP groups compared to non-ϕP groups. These genes were involved in the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as the production of energy. Our findings showed that the 1ϕP treatment could be a potential alternative to AGPs for poultry, as growth performance was enhanced, and gut microbiota was positively modulated.

The gut microbiota has become a significant factor associated with health and disease. Although many studies have reported the implications of changes in the gut microbiota on cardiovascular diseases, there are no reports on the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and the gut microbiota. Therefore, we investigated the association between gut microbiota abundance and HRV parameters in this cross-sectional study of the general Japanese population. This study included 950 participants of the Iwaki Health Promotion Project who underwent a medical examination in 2019 that included HRV and gut microbiota measurements. At the genus level, multivariate regression analysis showed that higher gut microbial diversity was associated with a higher standard deviation of RR intervals (SDNN). Moreover, a higher SDNN was associated with a higher relative count of Lachnospiraceae incertae sedis. L. incertae sedis abundance was associated with higher HRV parameters such as SDNN, coefficient of variation of RR intervals, low-frequency component power (LF)/high-frequency component power, and LF. In the general Japanese population, higher gut microbial diversity and L. incertae sedis abundance were associated with higher HRV parameters.

Gut microbiota and exercise have recently been shown to be interconnected. Both moderate and intense exercise are typically part of the training regimen of endurance athletes, but they exert different effects on health. Moderate exercise has positive effects on the health of average athletes, such as a reduction in inflammation and intestinal permeability and an improvement in body composition. It also induces positive changes in the gut microbiota composition and in the microbial metabolites produced in the gastrointestinal tract. Conversely, intense exercise can increase gastrointestinal epithelial wall permeability and diminish gut mucus thickness, potentially enabling pathogens to enter the bloodstream. This, in turn, may contribute to the increase in inflammation levels. However, elite athletes seem to have a higher gut microbial diversity, shifted toward bacterial species involved in amino acid biosynthesis and carbohydrate/fiber metabolism, consequently producing key metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. Moreover, rodent studies have highlighted a bidirectional relationship, with exercise impacting the gut microbiota composition while the microbiota may influence performance. The present review focuses on gut microbiota and endurance sports and how this interconnection depends upon exercise intensity and training. After pointing out the limits of the studies so far available, we suggest that taking into account the microbiota composition and its metabolic contribution to human host health could help in monitoring and modulating athletes' health and performance. Such an integrated approach should help in the design of microbiome-based solutions for health or performance.

The structure and diversity of human gut microbiota are directly related to diet, though less is known about the influences of ethnicity and diet-related behaviors, such as fasting (intermittent caloric restriction). In this study, we investigated whether fasting for Ramadan altered the microbiota in Chinese and Pakistani individuals. Using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing and self-reported dietary intake surveys, we determined that both the microbiota and dietary composition were significantly different with little overlap between ethnic groups. Principal Coordinate Analyses (PCoA) comparison of samples collected from both groups before and after fasting showed partial separation of microbiota related to fasting in the Pakistani group, but not in the Chinese group. Measurement of alpha diversity showed that Ramadan fasting significantly altered the coverage and ACE indices among Chinese subjects, but otherwise incurred no changes among either group. Specifically, Prevotella and Faecalibacterium drove predominance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the Pakistani group, while Bacteroides (phylum Bacteroidetes) were the most prevalent among Chinese participants both before and after fasting. We observed significant enrichment of some specific taxa and depletion of others in individuals of both populations, suggesting that fasting could affect beta diversity. Notably, Dorea, Klebsiella, and Faecalibacterium were more abundant in the Chinese group after fasting, while Sutterella, Parabacteroides, and Alistipes were significantly enriched after fasting in the Pakistani group. Evaluation of the combined groups showed that genera Coprococcus, Clostridium_XlV, and Lachnospiracea were all significantly decreased after fasting. Analysis of food intake and macronutrient energy sources showed that fat-derived energy was positively associated with Oscillibacter and Prevotella, but negatively associated with Bacteroides. In addition, the consumption of sweets was significantly positively correlated with the prevalence of Akkermansia. Our study indicated that diet was the most significant influence on microbiota, and correlated with ethnic groups, while fasting led to enrichment of specific bacterial taxa in some individuals. Given the dearth of understanding about the impacts of fasting on microbiota, our results provide valuable inroads for future study aimed at novel, personalized, behavior-based treatments targeting specific gut microbes for prevention or treatment of digestive disorders.

In spite of growing evidence supporting the occurrence of complex interactions between Schistosoma and gut bacteria in mice and humans, no data is yet available on whether worm-mediated changes in microbiota composition are dependent on the baseline gut microbial profile of the vertebrate host. In addition, the impact of such changes on the susceptibility to, and pathophysiology of, schistosomiasis remains largely unexplored. In this study, mice colonized with gut microbial populations from a human donor (HMA mice), as well as microbiota-wild type (WT) animals, were infected with Schistosoma mansoni, and alterations of their gut microbial profiles at 50 days post-infection were compared to those occurring in uninfected HMA and WT rodents, respectively. Significantly higher worm and egg burdens, together with increased specific antibody responses to parasite antigens, were observed in HMA compared to WT mice. These differences were associated to extensive dissimilarities between the gut microbial profiles of each HMA and WT groups of mice at baseline; in particular, the gut microbiota of HMA animals was characterized by low microbial alpha diversity and expanded Proteobacteria, as well as by the absence of putative immunomodulatory bacteria (e.g. Lactobacillus). Furthermore, differences in infection-associated changes in gut microbiota composition were observed between HMA and WT mice. Altogether, our findings support the hypothesis that susceptibility to S.mansoni infection in mice is partially dependent on the composition of the host baseline microbiota. Moreover, this study highlights the applicability of HMA mouse models to address key biological questions on host-parasite-microbiota relationships in human helminthiases.

Background The mutualistic symbiosis between the gut microbial communities (microbiota) and their host animals has attracted much attention. Many factors potentially affect the gut microbiota, which also varies among host animals. The native Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (Chinemys reevesii) and the invasive red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) are two common farm-raised species in China, with the latter generally considered a more successful species. However, supporting evidence from the gut microbiota has yet to be collected. Methods We collected feces samples from these two turtle species raised in a farm under identical conditions, and analyzed the composition and relative abundance of the gut microbes using bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing on the Roach/454 platform. Results The gut microbiota was mainly composed of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes at the phylum level, and Porphyromonadaceae, Bacteroidaceae and Lachnospiraceae at the family level in both species. The relative abundance of the microbes and gene functions in the gut microbiota differed between the two species, whereas alpha or beta diversity did not. Microbes of the families Bacteroidaceae, Clostridiaceae and Lachnospiraceae were comparatively more abundant in C. reevesii, whereas those of the families Porphyromonadaceae and Fusobacteriaceae were comparatively more abundant in T. s. elegans. In both species the gut microbiota had functional roles in enhancing metabolism, genetic information processing and environmental information processing according to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database. The potential to gain mass is greater in T. s. elegans than in C. reevesii, as revealed by the fact that the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was lower in the former species. The percentage of human disease-related functional genes was lower in T. s. elegans than in C. reevesii, presumably suggesting an enhanced potential to colonize new habitats in the former species.

People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH) have reduced gut barrier integrity (“leaky gut”) that permits diffusion of microbial antigens (microbial translocation) such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the circulation, stimulating inflammation. A potential source of this disturbance, in addition to gut lymphoid tissue CD4+ T-cell depletion, is the interaction between the gut barrier and gut microbes themselves. We evaluated the relationship of gut barrier integrity, as indexed by plasma occludin levels (higher levels corresponding to greater loss of occludin from the gut barrier), to gut microbial diversity. PWH and people without HIV (PWoH) participants were recruited from community sources and provided stool, and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to characterize the gut microbiome. Microbial diversity was indexed by Faith’s phylogenetic diversity (PD). Participants were 50 PWH and 52 PWoH individuals, mean ± SD age 45.6 ± 14.5 years, 28 (27.5%) women, 50 (49.0%) non-white race/ethnicity. PWH had higher gut microbial diversity (Faith’s PD 14.2 ± 4.06 versus 11.7 ± 3.27; p = 0.0007), but occludin levels were not different (1.84 ± 0.311 versus 1.85 ± 0.274; p = 0.843). Lower gut microbial diversity was associated with higher plasma occludin levels in PWH (r = −0.251; p = 0.0111), but not in PWoH. A multivariable model demonstrated an interaction (p = 0.0459) such that the correlation between Faith’s PD and plasma occludin held only for PWH (r = −0.434; p = 0.0017), but not for PWoH individuals (r = −0.0227; p = 0.873). The pattern was similar for Shannon alpha diversity. Antiretroviral treatment and viral suppression status were not associated with gut microbial diversity (ps > 0.10). Plasma occludin levels were not significantly related to age, sex or ethnicity, nor to current or nadir CD4 or plasma viral load. Higher occludin levels were associated with higher plasma sCD14 and LPS, both markers of microbial translocation. Together, the findings suggest that damage to the gut epithelial barrier is an important mediator of microbial translocation and inflammation in PWH, and that reduced gut microbiome diversity may have an important role.

In this work, we investigate differences in gut microbial diversity driven by drug use or by the widely used methods for drug cessation: methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and compulsory detention (CD). Methods: 99 participants (28 CD participants, 16 MMT patients, 27 drug users, and 28 healthy controls) were selected using strict inclusion criteria. Nutritional intake and gut microbial diversity were analyzed with bioinformatics tools and SPSS 20.0. Results: Alpha diversity was not significantly different among groups, whereas beta diversity of gut microbiota and nutrient intake were significantly higher among MMT patients. Taxa were unevenly distributed between groups, with drug users having the highest proportion of Ruminococcus and MMT patients having the highest abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Conclusion: Drug use, cessation method, and diet contribute to shaping human gut communities. High beta diversity among MMT patients is likely driven by methadone use and high nutrient intake, leading to increased orexin A and enrichment for beneficial bacteria, while diversity in CD participants is largely influenced by diet.

Although the human gut microbiome is shaped by factors such as diet, environment, and genetic background, most studies investigating the relationship between ethnicity and microbiota have compared groups living in separate geographical locations. To isolate the effects of ethnicity on microbial diversity by minimizing environmental differences, we selected 143 school children from Han, Tibetan, and Hui populations from the same town on the Qinghai−Tibetan Plateau for fecal microbiome 16S rDNA sequencing. We characterized the diversity, identified signature taxa, and performed correlation analysis between diet and community composition. Firmicutes (47.61%) and Bacteroidetes (38.05%) were dominant phyla among the three ethnic groups; seven genera showed significant differences in relative abundance. Tibetan populations had a higher relative abundance of Oscillibacter and Barnesiella, compared with Han and Hui populations. Alpha diversity analyses (observed species, ACE, and Shannon indices) showed that the Tibetan population had the highest diversity compared to the Hui and Han groups, whereas beta diversity analysis revealed no significant differences between groups. The consumption of grains, milk, eggs, and fruits were positively correlated with specific taxa. Under similar environments and diet, ethnic background significantly contributed to differences in alpha diversity but not beta diversity of gut microbiota.

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that dietary supplementation with functional food ingredients play a role in systemic and brain health as well as in healthy ageing. Conversely, deficiencies in calcium and magnesium as a result of the increasing prevalence of a high fat/high sugar “Western diet” have been associated with health problems such as obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as metabolic, immune, and psychiatric disorders. It is now recognized that modulating the diversity of gut microbiota, the population of intestinal bacteria, through dietary intervention can significantly impact upon gut health as well as systemic and brain health. In the current study, we show that supplementation with a seaweed and seawater-derived functional food ingredient rich in bioactive calcium and magnesium (0.1% supplementation) as well as 70 other trace elements, significantly enhanced the gut microbial diversity in adult male rats. Given the significant impact of gut microbiota on health, these results position this marine multi-mineral blend (MMB) as a promising digestive-health promoting functional food ingredient.

ABSTRACT The Beijing oil (BJO) chicken is an autochthona Chinese breed which shows outstanding meat quality characteristics compared with fast-growing imported chickens such as Arbor Acres (AA) chickens. Gut microbial diversity has been shown to influence host factors such as energy and nutrient metabolism, immune response and fertility. Consequently, it is hoped that analyses into host microbial populations will ultimately help to improve the quality of associated meat products. Two distinct chicken breeds, Arbor Acres (AA) and Beijing oil (BJO), were selected to analyze the composition of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V5 hypervariable regions using high-throughput sequencing technology. Upon elucidation of gut-colonizing bacteria, the Firmicutes were observed to encompass the dominant phylum. The abundance of Firmicutes in the BJO chickens (84.9%) was lower than in the AA chickens (89.9%). Conversely, the prevalence of Proteobacteria was 4.8% in BJO chickens, with a significantly lower abundance observed in AA chickens (1.3%). In the cecum, the Firmicutes were once more the dominant phylum in BJO chickens (60.2%) and AA chickens (63.7%). The abundance of bacteroidetes was 37.7% in BJO chickens and 34.9% in AA chickens, respectively. These discoveries provide a perception into the composition of the gut microbiotain both breeds. The study also provides a foundation for future research relating to gut bacterial factors that may influence the development and progression of gastrointestinal disease in chickens and other animals.