PR002653 (Project)

Description:The microbiome is important in immune responses and inflammation in HIV-1 infection. Hence, a deeper understanding of the microbiome prior to HIV-1 infection is potentially important for HIV-1 prevention strategies. Using stool, oral washes, and plasma biospecimens obtained from HIV-1 negative men who have sex with men (MSM), we found several differences in microbial ecologies, gene functions, and metabolites between MSM who became HIV-1 infected approximately 6 months later and those who remained HIV-1 uninfected. The HIV-1 infected MSM had an enrichment of enzymes involved in purine metabolism, lower amino acid metabolism, and higher oxidative stress before the infection. Using a novel taxon-specific measure of DISruption in COrrelations (DISCO) with various data modalities, we identified several gut and oral species with disrupted correlations prior to HIV-1 infection. Application of DISCO to external datasets revealed that Prevotella spp. are consistently disrupted in their correlations across multiple cohorts prior to or following HIV-1 infection.