Gut microbial diversity among school children of Tibetan, Hui, and Han ethnics in the Qinghai˗Tibetan Plateau. Gut microbial diversity among school children

The composition of human gut microbiome is shaped by several factors such as diet, lifestyle and genetics, but most studies on the relative contribution of ethnicity to gut mocribiota compared different groups living at separate geographical locations. We used the 16sDNA technique to sequence the fecal microbiome in the Han, Tibetan, and Hui populations living in the same town which was located in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Although significant difference was not observed in beta diversity, the alpha diversity (ACE, observed species, and Shannon index) showed significant differences. Firmicutes (47.61%) and Bacteroidetes (38.05%) were the dominant phyla among the three ethnic groups. At the genus level, 11 genera showed significant differences in relative abundance. Fecal samples of the Hui group presented a higher relative abundance of the Roseburia, Faecalibacterium, and Ruminococcus, which are the beneficial bacteria for host health. The consumption of grains, milk, eggs, and fruits had a positive correlation with multiple gut microbiota. The correlation between antibiotic residues and gut microbiota was also observed at the genus level. Our results revealed that although some differences were presented in the gut microbiota among the different ethnic groups, dietary and antibiotic residues might also influence gut microbiota composition.