Objective: To determine the temporal stability of gut microbiota (GM) profiles around the acute establishment of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) therapies and describe resulting alterations in GM.
Background: Several studies have evaluated the influence of oral PD medications on GM, however the influence of advanced PD therapies on GM has not.
Method: Clinical data from validated questionnaires and stool samples from 21 PD patients initiating either deep brain stimulation (DBS) or levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG), were evaluated from -2 to 4 weeks post-therapy initiation and compared to 10 matched healthy control (HC) subjects. GM profiles were determined by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and used to assess temporal GM stability and alterations relative to therapy initiation.
Results: Temporal stability of GM was demonstrated in the collective PD cohort prior to initiation of advanced therapies. No GM alpha or beta diversity changes were noted with respect to initiation of advanced therapies. Significant taxa differences following DBS initiation included increases of Desulfovibrionales, Clostridium_XlVa, Bilophila, Parabacteroides and Pseudoflavonifractor, as well as a decrease of Dorea. LCIG therapy induction was associated with increases of Enterobacteriales, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudoflavonifractor, Escherichia/Shigella, and a decrease of Gemmiger. Altered microbial compositions at various taxonomic levels were also noted between the PD and HC groups at baseline.
Conclusion: We identified altered GM in association with commencement of advanced PD therapies. Further analyses are required to explore long-term influences of advanced therapies on the GM, PD clinical characteristics and disease progression.
This abstract is partially reproduced from a planned presentation at the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists, Annual Society Meeting, Melbourne, Australia, 19th-22nd May 2020.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
M. Lubomski, X. Xu, A. Holmes, J. Yang, R. Davis, C. Sue. Gut Microbiota in Parkinson’s disease: influences of device-assisted therapies [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2020; 35 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gut-microbiota-in-parkinsons-disease-influences-of-device-assisted-therapies/. Accessed October 18, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gut-microbiota-in-parkinsons-disease-influences-of-device-assisted-therapies/