Abstract
The purpose of this work was to identify the features of the gut microbiome in cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) testing positive for human leukocyte antigen- (HLA-) B27 and healthy controls (HCs) as well as to determine how bacterial populations were correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Fecal DNA extracted from fecal samples from 10 AS cases and 12 HCs was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The two research groups did not differ significantly regarding alpha diversity. By comparison to HCs, AS cases displayed a lower relative level of Bacteroidetes (P < 0.05), but a higher level of Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the correlation between the specific gut bacteria and ESR or CRP was investigated. At the phylum level, Firmicutes and Verrucomicrobia had a positive association with ESR and CRP, while Bacteroidetes exhibited an inverse correlation with ESR and CRP. Meanwhile, in terms of genus, Bacteroides had a positive association with ESR and CRP, whereas Ruminococcus and Parasutterella had an inverse correlation with ESR and CRP, and Helicobacter also displayed an inverse correlation with CRP. Such findings indicated dissimilarities between AS cases and HCs regarding the gut microbiome, as well as the existence of correlations between bacterial populations and both ESR and CRP.
Highlights
The series of chronic inflammatory joint conditions impacting mainly the spinal, pelvic, and thoracic wall joints of the axial skeleton are known as spondyloarthritis (SpA) [1]
Besides its effects on the joints, SpA can manifest as anterior uveitis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), and urethritis
SpA is often transmitted from one generation to the with the risk of acquiring this condition being determined by a number of genetic polymorphisms, especially the human leukocyte antigen- (HLA-)B27 allele belonging to the MHC class I [4]
Summary
The series of chronic inflammatory joint conditions impacting mainly the spinal, pelvic, and thoracic wall joints of the axial skeleton are known as spondyloarthritis (SpA) [1]. It often affects the upper and lower extremities as well, taking the form of arthritis, enthesitis, or dactylitis. SpA ranks among the chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions of greatest frequency as it affects 0.2-1.61% of people [2]. SpA is often transmitted from one generation to the with the risk of acquiring this condition being determined by a number of genetic polymorphisms, especially the HLA-B27 allele belonging to the MHC class I [4]. AS heritability depends on HLA-B27 in a proportion of 20.1%, while an additional 7.38% of the genetic risk is due to a further 113 loci [6]
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