Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation

Abstract Background Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is widely used to treat severe infections and investigated for the treatment of complex diseases. The therapeutic efficacy of FMT is related to the successful engraftment of bacteriophages from healthy donors to recipients. However, gut bact...

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Main Authors: Shuai Ji, Freed Ahmad, Baizhao Peng, Ying Yang, Mengting Su, Xiaoshan Zhao, Tommi Vatanen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-06-01
Series:Microbiome
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-025-02046-5
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author Shuai Ji
Freed Ahmad
Baizhao Peng
Ying Yang
Mengting Su
Xiaoshan Zhao
Tommi Vatanen
author_facet Shuai Ji
Freed Ahmad
Baizhao Peng
Ying Yang
Mengting Su
Xiaoshan Zhao
Tommi Vatanen
author_sort Shuai Ji
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is widely used to treat severe infections and investigated for the treatment of complex diseases. The therapeutic efficacy of FMT is related to the successful engraftment of bacteriophages from healthy donors to recipients. However, gut bacteriophage contributions to FMT engraftment and treatment outcomes remain unclear. Methods The gut phageome from previously published metagenomes of donors and recipients across 23 FMT studies was assembled and functionally annotated for a meta-analysis. Results Gut phageome profiles of FMT recipients, especially those with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), shifted toward donor phageomes, accompanied by increased phageome alpha diversity. Engraftment of donor phages varied between recipient conditions with the highest engraftment rate, overrepresented by putative temperate phage, in patients with rCDI. Consistently, a higher proportion of auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), with the potential to support and modulate bacterial metabolism, were annotated on putative temperate phages. Conclusions FMT leads to significant taxonomic, functional, and lifestyle shifts in recipient phageome composition. Future FMT studies should include gut phageome characterization and consider it as a potential factor in microbial community shifts and treatment outcomes. Video Abstract
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institution Kabale University
issn 2049-2618
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher BMC
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series Microbiome
spelling doaj-art-679eb7a8bfd64159bee2b7efd03568a82025-08-20T03:47:13ZengBMCMicrobiome2049-26182025-06-0113111610.1186/s40168-025-02046-5Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantationShuai Ji0Freed Ahmad1Baizhao Peng2Ying Yang3Mengting Su4Xiaoshan Zhao5Tommi Vatanen6Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityInstitute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of HelsinkiNanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityNanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityCellular & Molecular Diagnostics Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen UniversityNanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityInstitute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of HelsinkiAbstract Background Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is widely used to treat severe infections and investigated for the treatment of complex diseases. The therapeutic efficacy of FMT is related to the successful engraftment of bacteriophages from healthy donors to recipients. However, gut bacteriophage contributions to FMT engraftment and treatment outcomes remain unclear. Methods The gut phageome from previously published metagenomes of donors and recipients across 23 FMT studies was assembled and functionally annotated for a meta-analysis. Results Gut phageome profiles of FMT recipients, especially those with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), shifted toward donor phageomes, accompanied by increased phageome alpha diversity. Engraftment of donor phages varied between recipient conditions with the highest engraftment rate, overrepresented by putative temperate phage, in patients with rCDI. Consistently, a higher proportion of auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), with the potential to support and modulate bacterial metabolism, were annotated on putative temperate phages. Conclusions FMT leads to significant taxonomic, functional, and lifestyle shifts in recipient phageome composition. Future FMT studies should include gut phageome characterization and consider it as a potential factor in microbial community shifts and treatment outcomes. Video Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-025-02046-5
spellingShingle Shuai Ji
Freed Ahmad
Baizhao Peng
Ying Yang
Mengting Su
Xiaoshan Zhao
Tommi Vatanen
Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
Microbiome
title Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
title_full Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
title_fullStr Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
title_full_unstemmed Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
title_short Engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
title_sort engrafting gut bacteriophages have potential to modulate microbial metabolism in fecal microbiota transplantation
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-025-02046-5
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