Fecal microbiome composition in healthy adults in Ghana

Abstract

Current studies have indicated association of gut microbiome composition with varieties of disorders including infectious diseases. The microbiome composition is different among races and countries, possibly resulting in diversified interaction between host immune and gut microbiome. Characterization of the baseline microbiota in healthy people is an essential step to understand this biological interaction in individual populations. However, data on gut/fecal microbiome has not been accumulated in West Africa. In the present study, we examined fecal microbiome composition in healthy adults in Ghana. The 16S rRNA gene libraries were prepared using bacteria fractions derived from 55 Ghanaian adults and subjected to next generation sequencing. Fecal microbiome of Ghanaian adults was dominated by Firmicutes (Faecalibacterium, Subdoligranulum, and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014), Proteobacteria (Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella), and Bacteroidetes (Prevotella 9 and Bacteroides), consistent with previous observations in African cohorts. Analysis found difference in composition and lower diversity of fecal microbiome in our cohort compared to non-African countries. This is the first study that describes substantial fecal microbiome data obtained by using high throughput metagenomic tools in Ghana. These data would be valuable as a basis for determination of the association between fecal microbiome and progression of varieties of diseases in West African populations.