16S gut microbiota of international travellers before, during and after travel.

A cohort of 11 Dutch travellers to Asia was studied using 16S rRNA gene amplicon microbiota profiling. Participants self-collected a total of 254 fecal swabs at regular intervals before and after travel, and on a daily basis during their trip. The V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified using the primer pair 515F and 806R , followed by paired-end sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The study aimed to determine how travel influences the composition of the gut microbiota and to assess the rate of antimicrobial resistance gene acquisition.