Altered Gut Microbiota in Myasthenia Gravis

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 9; p. 2627
• Main Authors: Qiu, Dongxu, Xia, Zhiwei, Jiao, Xiao, Deng, Jun, Zhang, Lei, Li, Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 09.11.2018
• Subjects: 16S rRNA; Clostridium; gut microbiota; Microbiology; myasthenia gravis; short-chain fatty acids; Clostridium; myasthenia gravis; 16S rRNA; short-chain fatty acids; gut microbiota
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02627

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune-mediated disorder, the etiology of which involves both environmental factors and genetics. While the exact factors responsible for predisposition to MG remain elusive, it is hypothesized that gut microbiota play a critical role in the pathogenesis of MG. This study investigated whether gut microbiota are altered in MG patients by comparing the fecal microbiota profiles of MG patients to those of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Phylotype profiles of gut microbial populations were generated using hypervariable tag sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were assessed by gas chromatographic analyses. The results demonstrated that, compared to the healthy cohort, the gut microbiota of the MG group was changed in terms of the relative abundances of bacterial taxa, with sharply reduced microbial richness, particularly in the genus . The fecal SCFA content was significantly lower in the MG group. Furthermore, microbial dysbiosis was closely related to the levels of inflammatory biomarkers in the sera of MG patients.