A person’s gut microbiome could worsen their outlook following an organ transplant People with 'unhealthy' microbiomes are more likely to die following a transplant In particular, they are more vulnerable to cancer and infection WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- People with an “unhealthy” gut microbiome appear to be more likely to die following an organ transplant, a new study warns. These gut microbe patterns are specifically associated with deaths from cancer and infection, regardless of the organ that’s been transplanted, researchers reported recently in the journal Gut . “Across kidney, liver, heart and lung transplant recipients, we identified two overall microbial community variation patterns that are associated with all-cause mortality independent of the type of organ transplant, and specifically to death from malignancy and infection,” wrote the team led by Johannes Bjork , a fellow at University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands.
The results indicate that the health of a person’s gut microbiome should be considered when preparing for an organ transplant, the researchers concluded in a journal news release. The makeup of the gut microbiome has been previously associated with diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes. However, few studies have been able to link gut health to long-term survival, researchers said.
For this study, researchers analyzed the microbiome profiles from more than 1,300 fecal samples provided by tran.