Specific microbial ratio in the gut microbiome is associated with multiple sclerosis
Abstract
Significance We demonstrate the heterogeneity of the gut microbiome in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, characterized by the enrichment of Blautia and Akkermansia species. Using a mouse model of MS, we identified that a reduced Bifidobacterium to Akkermansia ratio served as a gut microbial marker of disease severity. Administering MS-associated Blautia species in mice altered this ratio and strongly correlated with disease scores, underscoring its potential in predicting severity. The lower Bifidobacterium to Akkermansia ratio at the species level, Bifidobacterium adolescentis to Akkermansia muciniphila (BA:AM), was validated in our human cohort and the larger International Multiple Sclerosis Microbiome Study (iMSMS). These findings highlight the BA:AM ratio’s promise as a microbial marker for microbiome-based diagnostics and therapeutic interventions in MS.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
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