Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment

<b>Background:</b> Variability in recanalization success during endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has led to increased interests in thrombus composition and associated cellular materials. While evidence suggests that bacteria may influence thrombus characteristics, l...

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Main Authors: Kasthuri Thirupathi, Sherief Ghozy, Abdullah Reda, Wasantha K. Ranatunga, Mars A. Ruben, Zarrintan Armin, Oana M. Mereuta, Sekhon Prabhjot, Daying Dai, Waleed Brinjikji, David F. Kallmes, Ramanathan Kadirvel
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Brain Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/2/157
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author Kasthuri Thirupathi
Sherief Ghozy
Abdullah Reda
Wasantha K. Ranatunga
Mars A. Ruben
Zarrintan Armin
Oana M. Mereuta
Sekhon Prabhjot
Daying Dai
Waleed Brinjikji
David F. Kallmes
Ramanathan Kadirvel
author_facet Kasthuri Thirupathi
Sherief Ghozy
Abdullah Reda
Wasantha K. Ranatunga
Mars A. Ruben
Zarrintan Armin
Oana M. Mereuta
Sekhon Prabhjot
Daying Dai
Waleed Brinjikji
David F. Kallmes
Ramanathan Kadirvel
author_sort Kasthuri Thirupathi
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background:</b> Variability in recanalization success during endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has led to increased interests in thrombus composition and associated cellular materials. While evidence suggests that bacteria may influence thrombus characteristics, limited data exist on microbiological profiles of thrombi in stroke patients. <b>Objectives:</b> Characterization of bacterial communities present in thrombi of AIS patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy, providing insights into microbial contributions to stroke pathogenesis and treatment outcomes. <b>Methods:</b> Thrombi were collected from 20 AIS patients. After extracting metagenome, 16S rDNA sequencing was performed. Bioinformatic analysis included taxonomy and diversity assessments. The presence of bacterial DNA and viable bacteria in thrombi was validated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial culturing followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis, respectively. <b>Results:</b> 16S rDNA was amplified in 19/20 thrombi (95%). Analysis identified a diverse microbial community, with <i>Corynebacterium</i> spp. as the most prevalent genus, followed by <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp., <i>Bifidobacterium</i> spp., <i>Methylobacterium</i> spp., and <i>Anaerococcus</i> spp. Alpha diversity analyses (Shannon index: 4.0–6.0 and Simpson index: 0.8–1.0) revealed moderate to high microbial diversity across samples; beta diversity demonstrated distinct clustering, indicating inter-patient variability in microbial profiles. PCR confirmed the presence of DNA specific to dominant bacterial taxa identified through sequencing. Culturing showed the presence of <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> and <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> in some clots as identified through MALDI analysis. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study shows bacterial communities present in AIS patients’ thrombi, suggesting a potential link between microbial signatures and thrombus characteristics.
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spelling doaj-art-c7bb7a6a208d4a8fa7611833eac3f44c2025-08-20T02:44:55ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252025-02-0115215710.3390/brainsci15020157Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular TreatmentKasthuri Thirupathi0Sherief Ghozy1Abdullah Reda2Wasantha K. Ranatunga3Mars A. Ruben4Zarrintan Armin5Oana M. Mereuta6Sekhon Prabhjot7Daying Dai8Waleed Brinjikji9David F. Kallmes10Ramanathan Kadirvel11Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USADepartment of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA<b>Background:</b> Variability in recanalization success during endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) has led to increased interests in thrombus composition and associated cellular materials. While evidence suggests that bacteria may influence thrombus characteristics, limited data exist on microbiological profiles of thrombi in stroke patients. <b>Objectives:</b> Characterization of bacterial communities present in thrombi of AIS patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy, providing insights into microbial contributions to stroke pathogenesis and treatment outcomes. <b>Methods:</b> Thrombi were collected from 20 AIS patients. After extracting metagenome, 16S rDNA sequencing was performed. Bioinformatic analysis included taxonomy and diversity assessments. The presence of bacterial DNA and viable bacteria in thrombi was validated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bacterial culturing followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) analysis, respectively. <b>Results:</b> 16S rDNA was amplified in 19/20 thrombi (95%). Analysis identified a diverse microbial community, with <i>Corynebacterium</i> spp. as the most prevalent genus, followed by <i>Staphylococcus</i> spp., <i>Bifidobacterium</i> spp., <i>Methylobacterium</i> spp., and <i>Anaerococcus</i> spp. Alpha diversity analyses (Shannon index: 4.0–6.0 and Simpson index: 0.8–1.0) revealed moderate to high microbial diversity across samples; beta diversity demonstrated distinct clustering, indicating inter-patient variability in microbial profiles. PCR confirmed the presence of DNA specific to dominant bacterial taxa identified through sequencing. Culturing showed the presence of <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> and <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i> in some clots as identified through MALDI analysis. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study shows bacterial communities present in AIS patients’ thrombi, suggesting a potential link between microbial signatures and thrombus characteristics.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/2/157acute ischemic strokethrombus microbiotamechanical thrombectomy16S ribosomal RNA sequencingbacterial infections
spellingShingle Kasthuri Thirupathi
Sherief Ghozy
Abdullah Reda
Wasantha K. Ranatunga
Mars A. Ruben
Zarrintan Armin
Oana M. Mereuta
Sekhon Prabhjot
Daying Dai
Waleed Brinjikji
David F. Kallmes
Ramanathan Kadirvel
Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment
Brain Sciences
acute ischemic stroke
thrombus microbiota
mechanical thrombectomy
16S ribosomal RNA sequencing
bacterial infections
title Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment
title_full Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment
title_fullStr Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment
title_full_unstemmed Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment
title_short Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Signatures in Thrombi from Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Undergoing Endovascular Treatment
title_sort metagenomic insights into microbial signatures in thrombi from acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing endovascular treatment
topic acute ischemic stroke
thrombus microbiota
mechanical thrombectomy
16S ribosomal RNA sequencing
bacterial infections
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/2/157
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