Casual effects of gut microbiota on risk of infections: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Beibei Lyu; Jinghang Ma; Yongyu Bai; Zhen Feng

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1284723

Casual effects of gut microbiota on risk of infections: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Front Microbiol. 2023 Oct 10:14:1284723. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1284723. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Beibei Lyu¹, Jinghang Ma¹, Yongyu Bai^{1

2}, Zhen Feng¹

Affiliations

¹ School of the First Clinical Medical Sciences (School of Information and Engineering), Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
² Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: The correlation between gut microbiota and infections has garnered significant attention in previous studies; nevertheless, our understanding of the causal relationships and mechanisms between specific microbial species and infections remains limited.

Methods: This study aimed to employ Mendelian randomization (MR) using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of European ancestry to explore the genetic-level relationships between distinct types of gut microbiota and susceptibility to infections. Our analysis encompassed three prevalent infections: intestinal infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections, while concurrently examining various types of gut microbiota.

Results: We identified 18 protective gut microbiotas alongside 13 associated with increased infection risk. Particularly noteworthy are certain microbial communities capable of producing butyrate, such as the Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae families, which exhibited both favorable and unfavorable effects. Additionally, we observed a few certain communities linked to infection susceptibility, including ErysipelotrichaceaeUCG003 (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.054-0.33, p = 1.24E-05), Collinsella (OR = 3.25, 95% CI: 2.00-5.27, p = 1.87E-06), and NB1n (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09-1.40, p = 1.12E-03).

Conclusion: This study reveals complex relationships between gut microbiota and various infections. Our findings could potentially offer new avenues for exploring prevention and treatment strategies for infectious diseases.

Keywords: Mendelian randomization; genetic relationships; genome-wide association study; gut microbiota; infection susceptibility.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.