Urban vs. Rural China Microbiome

The microbiome plays a critical role in host health. Using both 16S rRNA sequencing and whole metagenome sequencing, we compared the gut microbiome of rural and urban people from a single Chinese province, and found significant differences between the community composition of recently urbanized and rural subjects. Microbes that were more abundant in the urban Chinese samples were also more prevalent in an American cohort, suggesting that Westernization of diet and lifestyle can rapidly change the microbiome. Furthermore, the genes encoded by the microbiome and the metabolites generated have significantly altered with urbanization, with an increase in genes associated with resistance and virulence.