Characterizations of the multi-kingdom gut microbiota in Chinese patients with gouty arthritis

OBJECTIVE: The gut microbial composition has been linked to metabolic and autoimmune diseases, including arthritis. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on the gut bacteriome, mycobiome, and virome in patients with gouty arthritis (GA). METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the multi-kingdom gut microbiome of 26 GA patients and 28 healthy controls, using whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing of their stool samples. RESULTS: Profound alterations were observed in the gut bacteriome, mycobiome, and virome of GA patients. We identified 1, 117 differentially abundant bacterial species, 23 fungal species, and 4, 115 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs). GA-enriched bacteria included Escherichia coliD GENOME144544, Bifidobacterium infantis GENOME095938, BlautiaA wexlerae GENOME096067, and Klebsiella pneumoniae GENOME147598, while control-enriched bacteria comprised Faecalibacterium prausnitziiG GENOME147678, Agathobacter rectalis GENOME143712, and BacteroidesA plebeiusA GENOME239725. GA-enriched fungi included opportunistic pathogens like Cryptococcus neoformans GCA₀11057565, Candida parapsilosis GCA₀00182765, and Malassezia spp. , while control-enriched fungi featured several Hortaea werneckii subclades and Aspergillus fumigatus GCA₀00002655. GA-enriched vOTUs mainly attributed to Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, Podoviridae, and Microviridae, whereas control-enriched vOTUs spanned 13 families, including Siphoviridae, Myoviridae, Podoviridae, Quimbyviridae, Phycodnaviridae, and crAss-like. A co-abundance network revealed intricate interactions among these multi-kingdom signatures, signifying their collective influence on the disease. Furthermore, these microbial signatures demonstrated the potential to effectively discriminate between patients and controls, highlighting their diagnostic utility. CONCLUSIONS: This study yields crucial insights into the characteristics of the GA microbiota that may inform future mechanistic and therapeutic investigations.