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Cross-cohort microbiome-wide study reveals consistent alterations in the gut bacteriome, but not the gut mycobiome, in patients with hypertension

Summary

Researchers analyzed gut bacteria and fungi in hypertensive patients compared to healthy people across two regions in China. They found that hypertensive patients have significant changes in their gut bacteria, particularly an overgrowth of harmful species like Clostridium and a decrease in beneficial bacteria. Interestingly, fungi in the gut showed minimal differences. These bacterial changes could potentially be used as early warning signs for hypertension and might become targets for new treatments.

Background

Hypertension is a prevalent cardiovascular disease affecting billions of people worldwide. Recent studies have linked gut microbiota composition to hypertension development, but comprehensive cross-population validated microbial signatures at both bacterial and fungal levels remain lacking.

Objective

To identify cross-cohort gut bacterial and fungal signatures associated with hypertension using metagenome-wide analysis of fecal samples from hypertensive patients and healthy controls across two geographic regions.

Results

Hypertensive patients showed significantly reduced bacterial diversity with 61 bacterial species exhibiting consistent alterations across both regions. Lachnospiraceae species and Clostridium species were enriched in hypertension, while Lachnospiraceae bacterium and Firmicutes bacterium were decreased. Fungal analysis revealed minimal differences, with only six potentially significant fungal species identified and limited cross-cohort consistency.

Conclusion

The study identifies gut bacterial signatures as reliable biomarkers for hypertension, suggesting the bacteriome serves as a more reliable target for intervention than the mycobiome. Bacterial-based classification models achieved AUCs greater than 0.70, while fungal-based models achieved only 0.55-0.57, indicating superior diagnostic potential of bacterial signatures.
  • Published in:mSystems,
  • Study Type:Cross-cohort Observational Study,
  • Source: PMID: 40815468, DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00657-25
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