Correlations Between Intestinal Microbial Community and Hematological Profile in Native Tibetans and Han Immigrants

Abstract

Hematological features are one of the best-known aspects of high-altitude adaptation in Tibetans. However, it is still unclear whether the intestinal microbiota is associated with the hematology profile. In this study, routine blood tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to investigate the differences in the intestinal microbiota and hematological parameters of native Tibetan herders and Han immigrants sampled at 3,900 m. The blood test results suggested that the platelet counts (PLTs) were significantly higher in native Tibetans than the Han immigrants. The feces of the native Tibetans had significantly greater microbial diversity (more different species: Simpson’s and Shannon’s indices) than that of the Han immigrants. The native Tibetans also had a different fecal microbial community structure than the Han immigrants. A Bray–Curtis distance-based redundancy analysis and envfit function test showed that body mass index (BMI) and PLT were significant explanatory variables that correlated with the fecal microbial community structure in native Tibetans. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that Megamonas correlated positively with BMI, whereas Bifidobacterium correlated negatively with BMI. Alistipes and Parabacteroides correlated positively with the PLT. Succinivibrio correlated positively with SpO2. Intestinibacter correlated negatively with the red blood cell count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit (HCT). Romboutsia correlated negatively with HCT, whereas Phascolarctobacterium correlated positively with HCT. A functional analysis showed that the functional capacity of the gut microbial community in the native Tibetans was significantly related to carbohydrate metabolism. These findings suggest that the hematological profile is associated with the fecal microbial community, which may influence the high-altitude adaptation/acclimatization of Tibetans.

Analysis of the gut microbiome in obese native Tibetan children living at different altitudes: A case–control study

“…These findings are consistent with our findings. The results of Ma (59) showed that the relative abundance of Megamonas in people in the plains area was higher than that in people in the high-altitude area, consistent with the conclusion of our study. The reason may be related to the impairment of gastrointestinal mucosal barrier function caused by hypoxia, but research on the mechanism is still incomplete.…”

The intersection of social determinants of health, the microbiome, and health outcomes in immigrants: A scoping review

“…In their review of the effects of lifestyle and environment on the human microbiome, Gupta et al (2017) asserted that urbanization—which generally includes adoption of a more indoor‐based lifestyle, improved sanitation and living conditions and less exposure to nature—plays a predominant role in microbial shifts among immigrants who migrate to Westernized countries. Tibetan natives had higher gut microbial diversity than Chinese Han immigrants who had lived in Guoluo (high‐altitude area) for about a year, showing that when immigrants move from industrialized areas to non‐industrialized areas, they retain several features of their pre‐migration microbiome (Ma et al, 2021). The gut microbiomes of the Tibetan natives were more enriched with bacteria related to carbohydrate metabolism when compared to the Han immigrants.…”

The analysis of different levels of microbiota between Han and Tibetan people on the Tibet Plateau

“…Published by Francis Academic Press, UK -43-Tibetans, but the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05) (2). A meta-analysis included 13 studies on the relationship between intestinal flora and IBS, involving 360 patients with IBS and 268 healthy subjects.…”