Analysis of the Characteristics of the Oral Virome in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics of salivary and supragingival plaque viromes in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and provide new insights for noninvasive oral screening and ecological intervention for MAFLD. MethodsThis study included 21 MAFLD patients and 20 healthy controls. Saliva and supragingival plaque samples were collected, and metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the characteristics of the oral virome. ResultsThe α-diversity and β-diversity of the salivary virome did not differ significantly between MAFLD patients and healthy individuals (P > 0.05). However, compared with healthy individuals, the α-diversity (Shannon index) and β-diversity (Bray–Curtis distance) of the supragingival plaque virome showed significant differences (P = 0.0303, P = 0.001). For species with a relative abundance greater than 0.1%, 14 viral species in saliva and 5 in supragingival plaque differed significantly in relative abundance between the two groups (P P ConclusionDifferences in the species composition and structure of the oral virome between MAFLD patients and healthy individuals suggest that oral viral species could serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing MAFLD.