Gastrointestinal microbiome study in patients infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

BackgroundBy 16S rRNA gene analysis, we had been observed the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio and Bifidobacteriaceae in gut microbiome was related to the active tuberculosis (TB) or latent TB infection (LTBI) among HIV-uninfected individuals. We further measured biomarkers including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells, white blood cell distribution in peripheral blood, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, invariant nature killer T (iNKT), and interferon-gamma releasing assay to determine whether the gut microbiome was associated with innate immunity after MTB infection in HIV-uninfected individuals.研究背景：本研究前期通过16S rRNA基因测序分析(16S rRNA gene analysis)发现，在HIV未感染个体中，肠道微生物组(gut microbiome)的厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)与拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)比值（F/B比值）及双歧杆菌科(Bifidobacteriaceae)水平与活动性结核病(TB)或潜伏性结核感染(LTBI)存在相关性。本研究进一步检测了包括外周血CD3+、CD4+、CD8+ T细胞、白细胞分布情况，以及白细胞介素-1β(IL-1B)、IL-4、IL-6、IL-10、不变自然杀伤T细胞(iNKT)在内的多项生物标志物，并开展γ干扰素释放试验，以探究HIV未感染个体在感染结核分枝杆菌(MTB)后，肠道微生物组是否与固有免疫(innate immunity)存在关联。