Microbial community structure of different tongue fur types in patients with chronic gastritis

OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between tongue and oral microbiota, we studied the microbial community structure of different tongue coating types in patients with chronic gastritis. METHODS: 16S rDNA gene sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were used to study the dynamic changes and correlation of microbial flora in patients with chronic gastritis, healthy people, and patients with different tongue fur. In addition, it was also discussed between the severity of gastritis and the microflora of tongue fur.RESULTS: The microbial diversity of tongue fur in patients with chronic gastritis was significantly different from healthy controls. There were significant changes in bacterial communities' diversity and relative abundance between extra tongue fur in patients but not in healthy people. Oral bacteria with relative abundance > 1% and P < 0.05 among different tongue fur flora were dominant bacteria, including 12 phyla such as Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, and 256 genera such as Neisseria, Prevotella_7 and Haemophilus.CONCLUSIONS: The changes in oral flora in patients with chronic gastritis were related to tongue fur. Therefore, the significant microbiota might enlighten further study on the correlation between tongue inspection and oral microbiota in patients with chronic gastritis.(c) 2023 JTCM. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study explored the correlation between tongue and oral microbiota in patients with chronic gastritis. The microbial community structure of different tongue coating types was analyzed using 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Significant differences were found in the microbial diversity and abundance of tongue fur between patients with chronic gastritis and healthy controls. The dominant bacteria identified included Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes.