Differences in Gut Microbiome Composition and Antibiotic Resistance Gene Distribution between Chinese and Pakistani University Students from a Common Peer Group

Gut microbiomes play important functional roles in human health and are also affected by many factors. However, few studies concentrate on gut microbiomes under exercise intervention. Additionally, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) carried by gut microbiomes may constantly pose a threat to human health. Here, ARGs and microbiomes of Chinese and Pakistanis participants were investigated using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR techniques. The exercise had no impact on gut microbiomes in the 12 individuals investigated during the observation period, while the different distribution of gut microbiomes was found in distinct nationalities. Overall, the dominant microbial phyla in the participants’ gut were Bacteroidota, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Some genera such as Prevotella and Dialister were more abundant in Pakistani participants and some other genera such as Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium were more abundant in Chinese participants. The microbial diversity in Chinese was higher than that in Pakistanis. Furthermore, microbial community structures were also different between Chinese and Pakistanis. For ARGs, the distribution of all detected ARGs is not distinct at each time point. Among these ARGs, floR was distributed differently in Chinese and Pakistani participants, and some ARGs such as tetQ and sul2 are positively correlated with several dominant microbiomes, particularly Bacteroidota and Firmicutes bacteria that did not fluctuate over time.