Exploring the gut-brain axis in glioblastoma: a prospective case-control study of the gut bacteriome and mycobiome
- 1Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Dept. of Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Heidelberg, Germany; University Hospital Heid
Abstract
The gut-brain axis may modulate glioblastoma biology, but human data are scarce and the gut mycobiome remains uncharacterized. In a prospective case-control study, we sequenced bacterial (16S rRNA gene) and fungal (ITS) communities from rectal swabs of 23 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and 23 healthy controls. Fungal diversity was lower in patients than in controls (p < 0.001). Bacterial diversity and overall structure of both communities did not differ. Several short-chain fatty acid producers within the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae were nominally reduced in patients, whereas the methanogenic archaeon Methanobrevibacter and Nakaseomyces glabratus were nominally enriched. In an exploratory multivariate Cox analysis, a higher intratumoral proportion of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1-positive myeloid cells was associated with longer survival, independent of age, performance status and extent of resection (hazard ratio 0.82 per percentage point, p = 0.04). We hypothesize that the myeloid compartment links the changes in gut and tumor.
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BibTeX
@misc{herz2026exploring,
title = {{Exploring the gut-brain axis in glioblastoma: a prospective case-control study of the gut bacteriome and mycobiome}},
author = {M. Herz and K. Schmid and M. Ankenbrand and E. Roth and K. Huenniger and N. Guendermann and R. Nickl and A. F. Kessler and A. Cattaneo and C. M. Monoranu and R.-I. Ernestus and C. Hagemann and O. Kurzai and M. Loehr and V. Nickl},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.23.26363766},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.23.26363766v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Exploring the gut-brain axis in glioblastoma: a prospective case-control study of the gut bacteriome and mycobiome
AU - M. Herz
AU - K. Schmid
AU - M. Ankenbrand
AU - E. Roth
AU - K. Huenniger
AU - N. Guendermann
AU - R. Nickl
AU - A. F. Kessler
AU - A. Cattaneo
AU - C. M. Monoranu
AU - R.-I. Ernestus
AU - C. Hagemann
AU - O. Kurzai
AU - M. Loehr
AU - V. Nickl
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.23.26363766
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.23.26363766v1
AB - The gut-brain axis may modulate glioblastoma biology, but human data are scarce and the gut mycobiome remains uncharacterized. In a prospective case-control study, we sequenced bacterial (16S rRNA gene) and fungal (ITS) communities from rectal swabs of 23 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and 23 healthy controls. Fungal diversity was lower in patients than in controls (p < 0.001). Bacterial diversity and overall structure of both communities did not differ. Several short-chain fatty acid producers within the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae were nominally reduced in patients, whereas the methanogenic archaeon Methanobrevibacter and Nakaseomyces glabratus were nominally enriched. In an exploratory multivariate Cox analysis, a higher intratumoral proportion of ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1-positive myeloid cells was associated with longer survival, independent of age, performance status and extent of resection (hazard ratio 0.82 per percentage point, p = 0.04). We hypothesize that the myeloid compartment links the changes in gut and tumor.
ER -