The Paraguayan gut microbiome contains high abundance of the phylum Actinobacteriota and reveals the influence of health and lifestyle factors

Most gut microbiome studies are focused on populations from developed nations. However, this overlooks the role played by host genetics, lifestyle, and diet, highlighting the need to evaluate under-represented populations. Thus, we performed the first gut microbiome study from a Paraguayan cohort via 16S rRNA sequencing and PICRUSt2 analysis. We evaluated fecal samples from 60 participants from Asunción, while considering categories such as body-mass-index (BMI), sex, age, diet, lifestyle, and clinical history. Firmicutes (76.0 ± 11.6%), Actinobacteriota (10.4 ± 7.9%) and Bacteroidota (9.4 ± 11.4%) were the most abundant phyla. Similarly, the most abundant genera were Blautia (14.1 ± 7.5%), Faecalibacterium (8.07 ± 6.8%), and Bacteroides (6.7 ± 6.8%). Likewise, the most abundant microbial pathways were predicted to be involved with sugar metabolism and fermentation. Interestingly, some categories significantly impacted the gut microbiome composition and function, such as BMI (Moryella, Bifidobacterium), sex (Faecalibacterium), and others. Additionally, dysbiotic indices differed from values previously reported as homeostatic. These observations highlight the need for further studies, considering microbial species and host genetics. Thus, this work expands the knowledge of the gut microbiome from the Collective South, while contrasts found herein reinforce the need for further research with human populations traditionally understudied.