The gut microbial composition is different in chronic fatigue syndrome than in healthy controls, 2025, Prylińska-Jaśkowiak et al

[forestglip]

The gut microbial composition is different in chronic fatigue syndrome than in healthy controls

Monika Prylińska-Jaśkowiak, Hanna Tabisz, Sławomir Kujawski, Beata R. Godlewska, Joanna Słomko, Beata Januszko-Giergielewicz, Modra Murovska, Karl J. Morten, Łukasz Sokołowski & Paweł Zalewski

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Abstract
The pathogenesis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is yet unknown. This study aimed to assess the gut microbial composition in CFS patients versus in healthy controls (HCs).

The composition of fecal bacteria was examined in twenty-five CFS patients and sixteen HCs using Illumina sequencing of 16 S rRNA gene amplicons targeting the V3-V4 bacterial gene regions.

143 (46%) of the microbial genera were found only in the CFS. In addition, the gut microbial composition in the CFS patients contained a much higher proportion of the 10 most commonly found bacteria compared to the HCs group. A significantly lower observed number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) was noted in CFS compared to HCs (p = 0.045).

Significant between-group differences in the gut microbial composition in CFS compared to HCs were noted. The three most discriminating Amplicon Sequencing Variants (ASVs): ASV 191, ASV 44, and ASV 75, were identified as significantly more abundant in the healthy control group compared to the patient group. In addition, the Neural Network (multilayer perceptron) was able to discriminate gut microbial composition from CFS versus HCs with excellent performance (AUC = 0.935).

The gut microbial composition is different in CFS patients compared to HCs. Further studies should assess the pathophysiological consequences of these differences as well as the effectiveness of therapies aimed at modifying the gut microbial composition in CFS patients.

Web | PDF | Scientific Reports | Open Access

 

[Creekside]

I wouldn't be surprised that sick, inactive people have different microbiomes than healthy, active ones.

I expect there will be a bunch of papers finding correlations between microbiome compositions and various factors that are due to lifestyle or personality types. I'm sure someone could find (with enough data selection bias and outright fudging) a correlation between microbiome composition and astrological signs.

 

[Hutan]

The gut microbial composition is different in CFS patients compared to HCs. Further studies should assess the pathophysiological consequences of these differences as well as the effectiveness of therapies aimed at modifying the gut microbial composition in CFS patients.

Yes, they should not be saying this so definitively on the basis of a very small sample. For now, further studies should be aiming to confirm the findings, not producing a therapy, presumably a therapy with commercial opportunities. The only p value reported in the abstract was almost non-significant (p=0.045).

This is from Pawel Zalewski's team in Poland.

 

[rvallee]

I wouldn't be surprised that sick, inactive people have different microbiomes than healthy, active ones.

I expect there will be a bunch of papers finding correlations between microbiome compositions and various factors that are due to lifestyle or personality types. I'm sure someone could find (with enough data selection bias and outright fudging) a correlation between microbiome composition and astrological signs.

The microbiome is also influenced by social contacts, and even family contacts are much lower for us. We all tend to eat only at home, too, and tend to have a limited diet. Impossible to disentangle those factors.

 

[SNT Gatchaman]

Fukuda —

Two hundred fifty patients, who identified themselves as fatigued, were referred to the study by their general practitioner, neurologist, or psychiatrist. The inclusion criteria for the study were as follows: (1) age between 25 and 65 years, men and women, (2) fatigue for more than 6 months, due to unknown causes, (3) at least four additional symptoms: malaise after exertion, impaired memory and/or concentration, headache, unrefreshing sleep, tender lymph nodes (cervical or axillary), sore throat, muscle or joint pain. The exclusion criteria reflect Fukuda’s criteria for diagnosing CFS, including the presence of an illness that might trigger chronic fatigue (e.g., cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, or psychosocial stress).

CFS diagnosis was based on the Fukuda Criteria, which might serve as a limiting factor. Older criteria for CFS, such as the Fukuda criteria (also known as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1994 criteria) do not require the presence of postexertional malaise (PEM), unlike more recent ME/CFS diagnostic criteria such as the Canadian Consensus Criteria (CCC), International Consensus Criteria (ICC) and NICE criteria. Therefore, further studies should investigate how gut microbial composition and function relate to the intensity and fluctuations of PEM, as it is a cardinal symptom of ME/CFS.