Western and non-western gut microbiomes reveal new roles of Prevotella in carbohydrate metabolism and mouth–gut axis

• DOI: 10.1038/s41522-021-00248-x
• Publication Date: 2021-10-07T10:25:59Z
• Authors: Vishnu Prasoodana...; Ashok K. Sharma; Shruti Mahajan; Darshan B. Dhakan; Abhijit Maji; Joy Scaria; Vineet K. Sharma
• Keywords: Microbial ecology; Mouth; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; Microbiota; QR100-130; Prevotella; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Humans; Article; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; 3. Good health

AbstractThe abundance and diversity of host-associated Prevotella species have a profound impact on human health. To investigate the composition, diversity, and functional roles of Prevotella in the human gut, a population-wide analysis was carried out on 586 healthy samples from western and non-western populations including the largest Indian cohort comprising of 200 samples, and 189 Inflammatory Bowel Disease samples from western populations. A higher abundance and diversity of Prevotella copri species enriched in complex plant polysaccharides metabolizing enzymes, particularly pullulanase containing polysaccharide-utilization-loci (PUL), were found in Indian and non-western populations. A higher diversity of oral inflammations-associated Prevotella species and an enrichment of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbiome of western populations speculates an existence of a mouth-gut axis. The study revealed the landscape of Prevotella composition in the human gut microbiome and its impact on health in western and non-western populations.