Table_9_Initial Sequencing and Characterization of the Gastrointestinal and Oral Microbiota in Urban Pakistani Adults.XLSX

We report the initial characterization of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) and oral microbiota (bacteria) in 32 urban Pakistani adults. Study participants were between ages 18 and 40, had body mass index between 18 and 25 Kg/m2, and were students or early-career professionals. These individuals donated a total of 61 samples (32 gut and 29 oral) that were subjected to 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Microbiome composition of Pakistani individuals was compared against the uBiome database of selected individuals who self-reported to be in excellent health. We observed strong gender-based differences in the gut microbiome of Pakistani individuals, a skewness toward Firmicutes, and unusually high levels of Proteobacteria in the Pakistani men. These observations may indicate microbiota dysbiosis, though 16S data alone can neither establish cause nor effect to human health. Albeit conducted on a smaller scale, our report provides a first snapshot about the composition and diversity of gut and oral microbiota communities in Pakistani individuals.

本研究对32名巴基斯坦城市成年人的胃肠道（gastrointestinal tract，以下简称肠道）与口腔微生物群（oral microbiota，即细菌群落）开展了初步表征。研究受试者年龄介于18至40岁，体重指数处于18~25 kg/m²区间，职业为学生或初入职场的专业人士。所有受试者共捐献61份样本（肠道样本32份、口腔样本29份），所有样本均完成了16S核糖体RNA（16S rRNA）基因测序。本研究将巴基斯坦受试者的微生物组构成与uBiome数据库中自我报告健康状况极佳的甄选受试者数据集进行了比对。结果显示，巴基斯坦受试者的肠道微生物组存在显著的性别差异：菌群组成偏向厚壁菌门（Firmicutes），且巴基斯坦男性体内的变形菌门（Proteobacteria）水平异常偏高。上述现象或提示存在菌群失调（microbiota dysbiosis），但仅依靠16S测序数据无法明确其与人类健康之间的因果关系。尽管本研究规模较小，但本报告首次揭示了巴基斯坦成年人肠道与口腔微生物群群落的构成与多样性概况。