Microbiome diversity of cerebrospinal fluid in patients with central nervous system infections

To characterize the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microbiome in patients with central nervous system (CNS) infections and to compare its diversity with healthy controls using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

Forty-six patients with CNS infections were enrolled as the infection group while 16 healthy individuals served as the control group. CSF samples were collected and subjected to mNGS. The sequencing data was processed via host sequence depletion, taxonomic profiling, and alpha/beta diversity analyses. Alpha diversity was assessed using the Chao1, Shannon, Simpson, and Pielou indices while beta diversity was explored using principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) combined with permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA).

A total of 143 microbial species were identified from 46 sequencing samples. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Ascomycota were the predominant phyla. Alpha diversity indices were significantly different between the infection group and control group (Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson, all P<0.05), suggesting altered microbial richness and diversity in CNS infections. Beta diversity analysis revealed a clear separation in community structure between the two groups via PCoA and PERMANOVA (P<0.05).

The diversity and composition of the CSF microbiome differ significantly between those with CNS infections and healthy individuals, suggesting correlations between CNS infections and CSF microbiome features.