The Metagenomic analysis of bile samples from acute cholecystitis patients

Acute cholecystitis (AC) is the acute inflammation of the gallbladder. AC is usually associated with cholelithiasis, with gallstones detected in >90% cases. Additional causes include circulation defect of the gallbladder wall, bacterial infection, and chemical disorder. The guidelines recommend treatment based on the severity, with patients generally treated with antimicrobial agents before operation, drainage, or general care is considered. When conservative treatment with drainage is selected, antimicrobial agents are administered depending on the bile culture examination and antimicrobial susceptibility testing results. Metagenome analysis by next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) has led to a new method of identifying the etiological agents of an infectious disease. The conventional method requires bacteria to be individually cultured, whereas metagenome analysis is a comprehensive approach that enables the direct sequencing of bacterial DNA without bacterial cultivation. We report the results of metagenome analysis of clinical cases who underwent cholecystectomy for AC. This study was expected to provide additional information.