The Spatial Features and Temporal Changes in the Gut Microbiota of a Healthy Chinese Population

In this study, we aimed to understand the characteristics of the gutmicrobial composition in a healthy Chinese population and to evaluate if they differed across different regions. In addition, we aimed to understand the changes in the gutmicrobial composition over time. We collected 239 fecal samples fromhealthy Chinese adults living in four regions and performed a 1-year time cohort study in a small population in Beijing. The Chinese gut microbiota share 34 core bacterial genera and 39 core bacterial species, which exist in all collected samples. Several disease-related microorganisms (DRMs), virulence factors, and antibiotic resistance genes were found in one or more healthy Chinese samples. Differences in gut microbiota were observed in samples from different regions, locations, individuals, and time points. Compared to other factors, time was associated with a lower degree of change in the gut microbiota. Our findings revealed spatial and temporal changes in the gut microbiota of healthy Chinese individuals. Compared to fecal microbiomes of 152 samples in the publicly released the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) project from the United States, samples in this study have higher variability in the fecal microbiome, with higher richness, Shannon diversity indices, and Pielou evenness indexes, at both the genus and species levels. The microbiota data obtained in this study will provide a detailed basis for further understanding the composition of the gut microbiota in the healthy Chinese population.

Automated summary

This study aimed to understand the gut microbial composition of a healthy Chinese population and its variability across different regions and time points. The results showed that Chinese individuals share some common gut bacteria, but also have differences. Compared to samples from the United States, the gut microbiota of the Chinese population in this study exhibited higher richness, diversity, and evenness. This study provides important insights into the gut microbiota of the healthy Chinese population.