The Nursing Home Older Adult Gut Microbiome Composition Shows Time-dependent Dysbiosis and is Influenced by Medication Exposures, Age, Environment, and Frailty
UMass Chan Affiliations
Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesProgram in Microbiome Dynamics
Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems
Department of Emergency Medicine
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2021-06-14Keywords
Medicationsantibiotics
frailty
gut microbiome
nursing home
residents
Digestive System
Environmental Public Health
Geriatrics
Medical Microbiology
Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Older adults in nursing homes (NHs) have increased frailty, medication, and antimicrobial exposures, all factors that are known to affect the composition of gut microbiota. Our objective was to define which factors have the greatest association with the NH resident gut microbiota, explore patterns of dysbiosis and compositional changes in gut microbiota over time in this environment. We collected serial stool samples from NH residents. Residents were assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool and Clinical Frailty Scale. Bacterial composition of resident stool samples was determined by metagenomic sequencing. We used mixed-effect random forest modeling to identify clinical covariates that associate with microbiota. We enrolled and followed 166 residents from 5 NHs collecting 512 stool samples and following 15 residents for > 1 year. Medications, particularly psychoactive and anti-hypertensive medications, had the greatest effect on the microbiota. Age and frailty also contributed, and were associated with increased and decreased diversity, respectively. The microbiota of residents who had lived in the NH for > 1 year were enriched in inflammatory and pathogenic species and reduced in anti-inflammatory and symbiotic species. We observed intra-individual stability of the microbiome among older adults who had lived in the NH already for > 1 year followed with sample collections 1 year apart. Older adult NH gut microbiome is heavily influenced by medications, age, and frailty. This microbiome is influenced by length of NH residence with dysbiosis becoming evident at 12 months, however after this point there is demonstrated relative stability over time.Source
Haran JP, Zeamer A, Ward DV, Dutta P, Bucci V, McCormick BA. The Nursing Home Older Adult Gut Microbiome Composition Shows Time-dependent Dysbiosis and is Influenced by Medication Exposures, Age, Environment, and Frailty. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2021 Jun 14:glab167. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glab167. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34125200. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI
10.1093/gerona/glab167Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/29847PubMed ID
34125200Related Resources
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1093/gerona/glab167