Not just a Snapshot: An Italian Longitudinal Evaluation of Stability of Gut Microbiota Findings in Parkinson’s Disease

Most research analyzed gut-microbiota alterations in Parkinson’s disease (PD) through cross-sectional studies, as single snapshots, without considering the time factor to either confirm methods and findings or observe longitudinal variations. In this study, we introduce the time factor by comparing gut-microbiota composition in 18 PD patients and 13 healthy controls (HC) at baseline and at least 1 year later, also considering PD clinical features. PD patients and HC underwent a fecal sampling at baseline and at a follow-up appointment. Fecal samples underwent sequencing and 16S rRNA amplicons analysis. Patients’clinical features were valued through Hoehn&Yahr (H&Y) staging-scale and Movement Disorder Society Unified PD Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part-III. Results demonstrated stability in microbiota findings in both PD patients and HC over a period of 14 months: both alfa and beta diversity were maintained in PD patients and HC over the observation period. In addition, differences in microbiota composition between PD patients and HC remained stable over the time period. Moreover, during the same period, patients did not experience any worsening of either staging or motor impairment. Our findings, highlighting the stability and reproducibility of the method, correlate clinical and microbiota stability over time and open the scenario to more extensive longitudinal evaluations.