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Characterization of the gut mycobiome in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and correlations with serum metabolome

Summary

This study examined fungi in the gut of people with fatty liver disease and found that certain fungal species are more common in diseased patients. By analyzing both gut fungi and blood chemicals, researchers discovered that fungi significantly influence metabolic substances related to liver health. A computer model combining information about gut fungi and bacteria could identify fatty liver disease with reasonable accuracy, suggesting that fungi could be useful for disease diagnosis and potential treatment.

Background

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver condition globally, affecting approximately one-quarter of the population. While the gut bacteriome has been extensively studied in NAFLD, the contribution of the gut mycobiome remains largely overlooked despite emerging evidence of its role in metabolic diseases.

Objective

To characterize the gut mycobiome composition in NAFLD patients and healthy controls, and to investigate correlations between fungal communities and serum metabolomic profiles using integrated multi-omics approaches including metagenomic sequencing and metabolomic analysis.

Results

Four fungal species were significantly enriched in NAFLD patients: Pseudopithomyces sp. c174, Mucor sp. c176, Aspergillus sp. c25, and Ascochyta c213. The gut mycobiome explained 38.2% of variance in serum metabolomic profiles, with specific species correlating to NAFLD-relevant metabolites. A random forest classifier integrating 42 bacterial and fungal features achieved an AUC of 0.772 for distinguishing NAFLD from controls.

Conclusion

Gut fungal communities are functionally and ecologically altered in NAFLD and contribute to shaping the host metabolic environment. These findings underscore the need to incorporate the gut mycobiome into future microbiome-based strategies for NAFLD diagnosis and treatment, with potential therapeutic applications targeting specific fungal taxa.
  • Published in:BMC Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Observational Study,
  • Source: 41087898
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