The characteristics of gut microbiome changes in tuberculosis patients and latent tuberculosis infection in Xinjiang.

Alpha diversity was significantly lower in the TB group compared to both the LTBI and HC groups.

• A total of 51 TB cases, 35 LTBI cases, and 51 healthy controls (HC) were recruited from the Infectious Disease Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
• Fecal samples underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing
• Alpha diversity differences were significant between TB and LTBI groups and between TB and HC groups
• No significant alpha diversity difference was reported between the LTBI and HC groups

Significant beta diversity differences were observed among all three groups (TB, LTBI, and HC).

• Beta diversity analysis distinguished the gut microbial community compositions across all three groups
• This indicates distinct overall microbial community structures in TB, LTBI, and healthy states
• 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to characterize gut microbiota profiles

Firmicutes was the most abundant phylum across all three groups at the phylum level.

• Firmicutes dominance was observed in TB, LTBI, and HC groups
• This phylum-level finding was consistent across all participant groups regardless of tuberculosis infection status

The most abundant genera differed among the three groups, with Phocaeicola dominant in TB, Escherichia in LTBI, and Bifidobacterium in HC.

• Phocaeicola was the most abundant genus in the TB group
• Escherichia was the most abundant genus in the LTBI group
• Bifidobacterium was the most abundant genus in the HC group
• These genus-level differences suggest distinct microbial signatures associated with different tuberculosis infection states

LEfSe analysis revealed that pro-inflammatory and opportunistic pathogenic genera were enriched in the TB group, while butyrate-producing and immune-modulating genera dominated the LTBI group.

• Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) was used to identify differentially abundant taxa
• The TB group was characterized by enrichment of pro-inflammatory and opportunistic pathogenic genera
• The LTBI group was characterized by dominance of butyrate-producing and immune-modulating genera
• These findings suggest divergent functional microbial profiles between active and latent tuberculosis states

PICRUSt2 analysis identified only five differential metabolic pathways between the TB and HC groups.

• Functional metabolic pathway prediction was performed using PICRUSt2
• Only five differential metabolic pathways were identified between TB and HC groups
• Clostridium showed the strongest positive correlation with pathway PWY-6876 (R = 0.79, P < 0.01)
• The specific metabolic differences between LTBI and HC or TB groups were not detailed in the abstract

This study characterized gut microbiota diversity, species composition, and metabolic pathways in Han populations with different tuberculosis states in Xinjiang, China.

• This was a follow-up study to earlier research on Uygur populations in Xinjiang infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Han and Uygur ethnic groups represent the predominant demographics in Xinjiang
• The study focused specifically on Han patients with active TB and LTBI
• Findings are intended to support tailored strategies for regional prevention and control of tuberculosis