Western and non-western gut microbiomes reveal new roles of Prevotella in carbohydrate metabolism and mouth-gut axis

The abundance and diversity of
host-associated Prevotella species
have a profound impact on human health. To investigate the composition,
diversity, and functional roles of Prevotella
in human gut, a population-wide analysis was carried out on 586 healthy samples
from western and non-western populations including the largest Indian cohort
comprising of 200 samples, and 189 Inflammatory Bowel Disease samples from
western populations. A higher abundance and diversity of Prevotella copri species enriched in complex plant polysaccharides
metabolizing enzymes, particularly pullulanase containing
polysaccharide-utilization-loci (PUL), were found in Indian and non-western
populations. A higher diversity of oral inflammations-associated Prevotella species and an enrichment of
virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbiome of
western populations speculates an existence of a mouth-gut axis. The study
revealed the landscape of Prevotella
composition in the human gut microbiome and its impact on health in western and
non-western populations.