Open AccessPilot Sub-Study of the Effect of Hepatitis C Cure by Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir on the Gut Microbiome of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Genotypes 1 to 6 in the Mythen Study
Author(s) -
Bahtiyar Yılmaz,
Lisa Ruckstuhl,
Beat Müllhaupt,
Lorenzo Magenta,
Melanie Harrer Kuster,
Olivier Clerc,
Ralph Torgler,
Nasser Semmo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pharmaceuticals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 1424-8247
DOI - 10.3390/ph14090931
Subject(s) - microbiome , genotype , medicine , hepatitis c virus , gut flora , biology , alpha diversity , species richness , beta diversity , feces , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , virus , bioinformatics , genetics , gene
In this small pilot sub-study, longitudinal gut microbiota composition changes, after successful treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with the co-formulated glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB), were analyzed before treatment (baseline) and 12 weeks post-treatment. Participating patients provided a fresh stool sample the week before their study visit, from which microbial DNA was extracted and sequenced for the 16S rRNA region in an Illumina MiSeq2 platform. Microbial and statistical analyses were conducted to determine the alpha-diversity (number of different taxa within a sample) and beta-diversity (number of overlapping taxa between samples). Stool samples from 58 patients were eligible for analysis. There were 27 patients with HCV genotype 1, 10 with genotype 2, 16 with genotype 3, and 5 with genotype 4. No statistically significant differences in gut microbiota diversity, species richness, or microbial community pattern were found at baseline and at post-treatment Week 12. Lack of statistically significant differences remained consistent in further analysis by demographic and baseline disease characteristics. Surprisingly, no statistically significant changes in alpha- and beta-diversity were seen in the microbiota after GLE/PIB treatment, though there was a trend toward less richness over time. Further investigation is needed into this unexpected outcome to better understand the role of HCV treatment and the gut microbiota.