Shared microbial alterations in Han and Uyghur patients with alcohol use disorder

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major public health concern, yet biological features that are consistent across different populations remain insufficiently understood. Growing evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis is involved in AUD, but whether shared microbial alterations exist across distinct ethnic groups is unclear. In this study, shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to characterize gut microbiota profiles in Han and Uyghur individuals with AUD and matched healthy controls. Taxonomic composition and functional pathways were systematically compared between AUD and control groups within and across ethnicities. AUD was associated with significant alterations in the gut microbiota in both populations. Despite distinct baseline ethnic profiles, a robust shared signature characterized by the depletion of specific commensal taxa, particularly short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers, was identified under active AUD. At the species level, four beneficial commensals— Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans , Eubacterium hallii , Ruminococcus torques , and Dorea formicigenerans —were consistently and significantly depleted in both AUD groups ( q < 0.05). Functional metagenomic analysis revealed convergent functional disturbances, highlighted by a shared depletion of core microbial DNA replication, DNA repair (mismatch repair, homologous recombination), and protein translation (aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis) pathways. This study identifies shared gut microbiota signatures associated with AUD across two ethnically distinct male cohorts. The consistent depletion of SCFA-producing commensals provides potential hypothesis-generating candidate features for future longitudinal validation and mechanistic exploration in AUD.