Gut microbiome profiling of a rural and urban South African cohort reveals biomarkers of a population in lifestyle transitionOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers profiled the gut microbiome of 170 HIV-negative South African women, 51 from urban Soweto and 119 from rural, transitioning Bushbuckridge. The pilot study, co-designed with community leaders, examined links between the microbiome, geography and obesity.
How was it studied?
Single stool samples were collected and analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, then compared against concurrently collected anthropometric data. Results were also benchmarked against existing datasets from non-Western populations.
What did they find?
Geographic location mattered more than lean or obese status for how samples clustered. Bushbuckridge showed relatively higher Melainabacteria and the predatory bacterium Vampirovibrio, and Prevotella, though common in both cohorts, was associated with obesity. Compared to other non-Western datasets, this cohort showed higher Barnesiella, Alistipes, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and Treponema, but markedly lower Prevotella (log2 fold change -4.7).
Why it matters
The findings offer early microbial biomarkers for a historically understudied African population undergoing rapid lifestyle and dietary transition. The authors emphasize that community engagement and more population-specific research are essential for designing targeted interventions.