Metataxonomic Analysis of Feces from Older Adults with and without HIV Title 2: Aging, HIV, and Gut Dysbiosis

Abstract

Abstract Background: HIV infection has been postulated as a model of accelerated aging. Previous studies have suggested a link between aging, frailty, and gut dysbiosis, but there is a knowledge gap in this field regarding the HIV population. Our objective was to explore the gut dysbiosis in older people with HIV (PWH) compared to non-HIV controls and to assess its possible link with frailty. Methods: A total of 36 fecal samples were submitted to a metataxonomic analysis. 24 were from PWH > 55 years and the other 12 were non-HIV healthy controls. Results: Alpha diversity was significantly higher in the control group than in the HIV group (Shannon index,3.74 [3.65-3.94] and 3.56 [3.32-3.69]], respectively; p < 0.05). At the genus level, the relative abundance of the genus Blautia was higher in the HIV group. Presence of Blautiawas also higher in PWH patients with depression, whereas the contrary was observed for the genus Bifidobacterium. Conclusions: Our study shows significant shifts in the composition of the bacteriome of PWH when compared to that of healthy controls. To our knowledge, this is the first study suggesting a potential link between depression and gut dysbiosis in the HIV population.