Sex differences in the phylum‐level human gut microbiota composition

Abstract

Background Evidence was previously provided for sex-related differences in the human gut microbiota composition, and sex-specific discrepancy in hormonal profiles was proposed as a main determinant of these differences. On the basis of these findings, the assumption was made on the role of microbiota in the sexual dimorphism of human diseases. To date, sex differences in fecal microbiota were demonstrated primarily at lower taxonomic levels, whereas phylum-level differences between sexes were reported in few studies only. In the present population-based cross-sectional research, sex differences in the phylum-level human gut microbiota composition were identified in a large (total n = 2301) sample of relatively healthy individuals from Ukraine. Results Relative abundances of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, as determined by qRT-PCR, were found to be significantly increased, while that of Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased in females compared to males. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio was significantly increased in females compared to males. Females had 31 % higher odds of having F/B ratio more than 1 than males. This trend was evident in all age groups. The difference between sexes was even more pronounced in the elder individuals (50+): in this age group, female participants had 56 % higher odds of having F/B ratio > 1 than the male ones. Conclusions In conclusion, sex-specific differences in the phylum-level intestinal microbiota composition were observed in the Ukraine population. The F/B ratio was significantly increased in females compared to males. Further investigation is needed to draw strong conclusions regarding the mechanistic basis for sex-specific differences in the gut microbiota composition and regarding the role of these differences in the initiation and progression of human chronic diseases.

A Previously Undescribed Highly Prevalent Phage Identified in a Danish Enteric Virome Catalog

“…Hence, further analyses were conducted at the individual scaffold level, thereby also avoiding having the results become outdated due to the constantly evolving phage taxonomy. DEVoC phages ( Caudovirales and Petitvirales orders) and their bacterial hosts ( Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla) have all been commonly described in the human gut ( 18 , 29 , 60 , 61 ).…”

Effects of dog ownership on the gut microbiota of elderly owners

“…A growing number of studies have shown sex differences in gut microbiota in animals and humans [ 38 , 39 ]. Compared with males, Firmicutes , the Firmicutes / Bacteroidetes ratio, and Actinobacteria were significantly increased in females [ 40 ]. A study showed that diet has sex characteristics for gut microbiota [ 41 ], leading to a difference in lipid metabolism [ 42 ].…”

Assessment of the impact of intravenous antibiotics treatment on gut microbiota in patients: Clinical data from pre-and post-cardiac surgery

“…Sex-related changes in gut microbiota composition were a contradiction. Some studies reported that the gut microbiota composition was different between females and males (Min et al, 2019;Holingue et al, 2020;Koliada et al, 2021). Haro et al (Haro et al, 2016) identified the gut microbiota signatures associated with obesity as a function of changes in gender and body mass index (BMI), their results showed that there were no significant differences in aand b- PCoA (principal coordinates analysis) of gut microbiota for elderly patients.…”