Causal associations between human gut microbiota and osteomyelitis: a Mendelian randomization study

Wenxing Zeng; Yuheng Wu; Xiaoye Liang; Dejun Cun; Luyao Ma; Jingtao Zhang; Feng Huang; Ziwei Jiang

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2024.1338989

Causal associations between human gut microbiota and osteomyelitis: a Mendelian randomization study

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2024 Apr 9:14:1338989. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1338989. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Wenxing Zeng¹, Yuheng Wu^{1

2}, Xiaoye Liang¹, Dejun Cun¹, Luyao Ma¹, Jingtao Zhang¹, Feng Huang^{1

3}, Ziwei Jiang^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ First Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
² Seventh Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China.
³ Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have emphasized the role of gut microbiota in the onset and progression of osteomyelitis. However, the exact types of gut microbiota and their mechanisms of action remain unclear. Additionally, there is a lack of theoretical support for treatments that improve osteomyelitis by altering the gut microbiota.

Methods: In our study, we utilized the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis to date from the MiBioGen consortium, involving 13,400 participants. The GWAS data for osteomyelitis were sourced from the UK Biobank, which included 4,836 osteomyelitis cases and 486,484 controls. We employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization framework for a detailed investigation into the causal relationship between gut microbiota and osteomyelitis. Our methods included inverse variance weighting, MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode approaches. Additionally, we applied Cochran's Q statistic to assess the heterogeneity of the instrumental variable.

Results: At the class level, Bacilli and Bacteroidia were positively correlated with the risk of osteomyelitis. At the order level, only Bacteroidales showed a positive association with osteomyelitis. At the genus level, an increased abundance of Butyricimonas, Coprococcus3, and Tyzzerella3 was positively associated with the risk of osteomyelitis, whereas Lachnospira was negatively associated. Sensitivity analyses showed no evidence of heterogeneity or pleiotropy.

Conclusion: This study reveals that classes Bacilli and Bacteroidia, order Bacteroidales, and genera Butyricimonas, Coprococcus3, and Tyzzerella3 are implicated in increasing the risk of osteomyelitis, while the genus Lachnospira is associated with a reduced risk. Future investigations are warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms through which these specific bacterial groups influence the pathophysiology of osteomyelitis.

Keywords: Mendelian randomization; causal effect; genetic association; gut microbiota; osteomyelitis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / genetics
Genome-Wide Association Study*
Humans
Mendelian Randomization Analysis*
Osteomyelitis* / microbiology
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors disclose that they have no commercial or financial associations that could create a potential conflict of interest. This study was supported by a grant from the ‘Program for Cultivating Academic Reserve Talents of Double First-class and High-level Universities’ at Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as the ‘National Studio Construction Projects for Experts in Traditional Chinese Medicine (Huang Feng Studio N75, 2022)’.