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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Frontiers in Microbiology

Metagenomic characterization of gut microbiota in patients with Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction

  • Wenhui Tan1
  • Wenjing Shi2
  • Jingwu Song3
  • Xiaodong Chen1
  • Meihong Lin1
  • Yue Xu3
  • Yikai Ling3
  • Yao Ma4
  • Yan Xia2,3
  • Zhifeng Wang2,3
  • Biao Liang1
  • Xiaoqiao Yang1,5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Gastrointestinal Microecology Therapy Center, The Affiliated Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital of Jinan University
  2. 201Life Institute
  3. 3Shen 1001 Life Institute
  4. 4Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen
  5. 5Digestive Endoscopy Center, The Affiliated Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital of Jinan University
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Abstract

Background: Patients with Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction (DGBI) experience recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms without identifiable organic abnormalities. While earlier studies focused on neural and hormonal regulation, recent evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis and altered microbial metabolism may play key roles in DGBI.

Methods: A total of 86 DGBI patients meeting the Rome V criteria were enrolled. Demographic data, disease duration, and symptom scores (Wexner Constipation Score, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Abdominal Bloating Score) were collected. Fecal samples were subjected to metagenomic sequencing, followed by diversity, taxonomic, and functional analyses to characterize the gut microbiota profile of DGBI patients.

Results: DGBI patients and healthy controls (HC) showed comparable α-diversity and no significant overall separation in β-diversity. At the genus level, Prevotella was more abundant in HC, whereas other dominant genera showed similar patterns between groups. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed altered microbial associations in DGBI. A species-level random forest model moderately discriminated DGBI from HC (AUC = 0.769). Among DGBI subtypes, FD showed lower species richness, while IBS-M exhibited higher microbial evenness and diversity. Subtype-specific microbial signatures were identified, including Ruminococcus gnavus in IBS-D, Prevotella stercorea and Asaccharobacter celatus in IBS-C, and Victivallis vadensis in FC. Moreover, exploratory analysis showed a negative correlation between Asaccharobacter celatus abundance and Wexner constipation scores in the IBS-C subtype.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study showed that patients with DGBI exhibited limited changes in overall gut microbial diversity compared with healthy individuals, but certain differences in microbial community patterns were observed across clinical subtypes, suggesting potential microbial ecological heterogeneity among different DGBI phenotypes.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{tan2026metagenomic,
  title = {{Metagenomic characterization of gut microbiota in patients with Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction}},
  author = {Wenhui Tan and Wenjing Shi and Jingwu Song and Xiaodong Chen and Meihong Lin and Yue Xu and Yikai Ling and Yao Ma and Yan Xia and Zhifeng Wang and Biao Liang and Xiaoqiao Yang},
  journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1890519},
  url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1890519/full},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Metagenomic characterization of gut microbiota in patients with Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction
AU  - Wenhui Tan
AU  - Wenjing Shi
AU  - Jingwu Song
AU  - Xiaodong Chen
AU  - Meihong Lin
AU  - Yue Xu
AU  - Yikai Ling
AU  - Yao Ma
AU  - Yan Xia
AU  - Zhifeng Wang
AU  - Biao Liang
AU  - Xiaoqiao Yang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/22
JO  - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO  - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1890519
UR  - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1890519/full
AB  - Background: Patients with Disorders of Gut–Brain Interaction (DGBI) experience recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms without identifiable organic abnormalities. While earlier studies focused on neural and hormonal regulation, recent evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis and altered microbial metabolism may play key roles in DGBI.  Methods: A total of 86 DGBI patients meeting the Rome V criteria were enrolled. Demographic data, disease duration, and symptom scores (Wexner Constipation Score, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, and Abdominal Bloating Score) were collected. Fecal samples were subjected to metagenomic sequencing, followed by diversity, taxonomic, and functional analyses to characterize the gut microbiota profile of DGBI patients.  Results: DGBI patients and healthy controls (HC) showed comparable α-diversity and no significant overall separation in β-diversity. At the genus level, Prevotella was more abundant in HC, whereas other dominant genera showed similar patterns between groups. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed altered microbial associations in DGBI. A species-level random forest model moderately discriminated DGBI from HC (AUC = 0.769). Among DGBI subtypes, FD showed lower species richness, while IBS-M exhibited higher microbial evenness and diversity. Subtype-specific microbial signatures were identified, including Ruminococcus gnavus in IBS-D, Prevotella stercorea and Asaccharobacter celatus in IBS-C, and Victivallis vadensis in FC. Moreover, exploratory analysis showed a negative correlation between Asaccharobacter celatus abundance and Wexner constipation scores in the IBS-C subtype.  Conclusion: In conclusion, this study showed that patients with DGBI exhibited limited changes in overall gut microbial diversity compared with healthy individuals, but certain differences in microbial community patterns were observed across clinical subtypes, suggesting potential microbial ecological heterogeneity among different DGBI phenotypes.
SN  - 1664-302X
ER  -