ALTERED GUT MICROBIOME IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SYSTEM ATROPHY. feces metagenome

We analyzed fecal samples from 17 Multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients and 17 age-matched spouses/siblings living in the same community, to control for potential confounding factors such as diet, lifestyle and housing condition. Clinical data, including medications, diet and constipation severity, were collected. Fecal DNA was extracted and amplicon sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region of the microbial 16SrRNA gene was performed on Illumina MiSeq platform. Fecal microbiome composition differed significantly between patients and controls at the genus level, with a four-fold increase in Bacteroides and five-fold reduction in Paraprevotella abundance in patients. There was no significant association between the abundance of these bacterial genera with diet, gender and constipation severity.