Oral Microbiota of Children Is Conserved across Han, Tibetan and Hui Groups and Is Correlated with Diet and Gut Microbiota

Abstract

The oral microbiota can be affected by several factors; however, little is known about the relationship between diet, ethnicity and commensal oral microbiota among school children living in close geographic proximity. In addition, the relationship between the oral and gut microbiota remains unclear. We collected saliva from 60 school children from the Tibetan, Han and Hui ethnicities for a 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis and comparison with previously collected fecal samples. The study revealed that Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla in the oral microbiota. The Shannon diversity was lowest in the Tibetan group. A PCA showed a substantial overlap in the distribution of the taxa, indicating a high degree of conservation among the oral microbiota across ethnic groups while the enrichment of a few specific taxa was observed across different ethnic groups. The consumption of seafood, poultry, sweets and vegetables was significantly correlated with multiple oral microbiotas. Furthermore, 123 oral genera were significantly associated with 191 gut genera. A principal coordinate analysis revealed that the oral microbiota clustered separately from the gut microbiota. This work extends the findings of previous studies comparing microbiota from human populations and provides a basis for the exploration of the interactions governing the tri-partite relationship between diet, oral microbiota and gut microbiota.

The salivary microbiome shows a high prevalence of core bacterial members yet variability across human populations

“…Many host characteristics can impact upon the composition of the salivary microorganisms, including age 16 , diet 17,18 , ethnicity 19 , gender 20 , smoking 21 , alcohol use 22 , circadian rhythm 23 , body mass index 24 and the type of stimulation 25 . Some studies have correlated the diverse microbiome with the distinct sensory responses between consumer groups 26,27 .…”

Dietary Correlates of Oral and Gut Microbiota in the Water Monitor Lizard, Varanus salvator (Laurenti, 1768)

“…However, it is worth noting that the relationship between the oral and gut microbiota is not consistent among different species. For example, the oral microbiota is associated with the gut microbiota in human children ( Liu et al, 2021 ), but much less so in the great tit Parus major ( Kropáčková et al, 2017 ).…”

Progress in research on gut microbiota in ethnic minorities in China and consideration of intervention strategies based on ethnic medicine: A review

“…More studies on the gut bacteria of Tibetans, Mongolians, Hui, and Zhuang were indicated by the study material, with publications on the Tibetans’ gut microorganisms appearing the most frequently. Some research focused on the variations in the prevalence of the same disease among various ethnic groups, which are brought on by various gut bacteria among ethnic minorities ( Liao et al., 2018 ; Li et al., 2021 ; Liu et al., 2021a ). Other research have demonstrated a strong correlation between Tibetans’ gut bacteria and the high prevalence of endemic diseases in ethnic minority locations, such as coronary heart disease ( Ma et al., 2021 ).…”

“…Other research have demonstrated a strong correlation between Tibetans’ gut bacteria and the high prevalence of endemic diseases in ethnic minority locations, such as coronary heart disease ( Ma et al., 2021 ). Numerous research on the gut microbiota of ethnic minorities also take into account geography and way of life in addition to ethnicity ( Liu et al., 2021b ).…”