Gut virome remodeling after fecal microbiota transplantation is associated with virus-bacteria co-variation and metabolic response in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
6 affiliations
- 1Microbiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 2Department of Psychiatry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 3Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 4Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 5State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Institute of Digestive Disease, LKS Institute of Health Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 6Center for Gut Microbiota Research, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Abstract
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) modifies gut bacterial composition and improves metabolic outcomes in subjects with obesity and type 2 diabetes (ObT2), but bacterial changes alone do not fully explain the heterogeneity in clinical response. We performed virus-like particle (VLP)-enriched metagenomic sequencing coupled with bulk-DNA metagenomic sequencing on longitudinal fecal samples from a randomized controlled FMT trial in ObT2. Using random forest classification, post-FMT virome changes showed accuracy comparable to bacteriome changes (84.8% vs 81.4%) in distinguishing LDL responders from non-responders. Donor-derived viral contig engraftment was detected in 64.7% (11/17) of recipients receiving FMT alone and 58.8% (10/17) receiving FMT with lifestyle intervention (LSI), versus 5.6% (1/18) in the sham with LSI group. FMT was associated with increased virome diversity, compositional shifts toward the donor virome, and coordinated virus-bacteria associations, with most responsive viral contigs classified as Caudoviricetes. FMT-responsive viral contigs that were shared between the two FMT groups were predicted to infect Roseburia and Bifidobacterium, while contigs associated with clinical responses were predicted to infect Escherichia, Roseburia, Blautia, and Enterococcus. These findings suggest that the gut virome is a complementary ecological component associated with FMT responses and metabolic outcomes in ObT2.
Related
- Postelectroacupuncture Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (post‐EA FMT) Regulates Gastrointestinal Hormones in Functional Dyspepsia Rats Is Associated With Modulation of the Intestinal Microbiota‐Bile Acid Metabolic Pathway
- Fucoidan attenuates metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease in mice and is associated with gut microbiota remodeling and AMPK/PPARγ signaling
- Effects of faecal microbiota transplantation on glycaemic outcomes in adults with metabolic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
- Antipsychotic-Induced Remodeling of the Gut Microbiota: Drug-Specific Patterns and Molecular Links to Metabolic Adverse Effects.
- Metabolic Remodeling in Peritoneal Dialysis-Associated Peritoneal Fibrosis: Mechanisms, Candidate Metabolic Signatures, and Therapeutic Perspectives
BibTeX
@article{jiang2026virome,
title = {{Gut virome remodeling after fecal microbiota transplantation is associated with virus-bacteria co-variation and metabolic response in obesity and type 2 diabetes.}},
author = {Hui Jiang and Ye Peng and Brian Lam and Keli Yang and Yu Lin and Joyce W Y Mak and Yee Kit Tse and Francis K L Chan and Zhilu Xu and Siew C Ng},
journal = {Gut microbes},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1080/19490976.2026.2746820},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912803},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gut virome remodeling after fecal microbiota transplantation is associated with virus-bacteria co-variation and metabolic response in obesity and type 2 diabetes.
AU - Hui Jiang
AU - Ye Peng
AU - Brian Lam
AU - Keli Yang
AU - Yu Lin
AU - Joyce W Y Mak
AU - Yee Kit Tse
AU - Francis K L Chan
AU - Zhilu Xu
AU - Siew C Ng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Gut microbes
DO - 10.1080/19490976.2026.2746820
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42912803
AB - Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) modifies gut bacterial composition and improves metabolic outcomes in subjects with obesity and type 2 diabetes (ObT2), but bacterial changes alone do not fully explain the heterogeneity in clinical response. We performed virus-like particle (VLP)-enriched metagenomic sequencing coupled with bulk-DNA metagenomic sequencing on longitudinal fecal samples from a randomized controlled FMT trial in ObT2. Using random forest classification, post-FMT virome changes showed accuracy comparable to bacteriome changes (84.8% vs 81.4%) in distinguishing LDL responders from non-responders. Donor-derived viral contig engraftment was detected in 64.7% (11/17) of recipients receiving FMT alone and 58.8% (10/17) receiving FMT with lifestyle intervention (LSI), versus 5.6% (1/18) in the sham with LSI group. FMT was associated with increased virome diversity, compositional shifts toward the donor virome, and coordinated virus-bacteria associations, with most responsive viral contigs classified as Caudoviricetes. FMT-responsive viral contigs that were shared between the two FMT groups were predicted to infect Roseburia and Bifidobacterium, while contigs associated with clinical responses were predicted to infect Escherichia, Roseburia, Blautia, and Enterococcus. These findings suggest that the gut virome is a complementary ecological component associated with FMT responses and metabolic outcomes in ObT2.
SN - 1949-0976
SN - 1949-0984
ER -