Files and links (1)
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access Discount via Drexel Libraries Read and Publish Program 2025CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Microspatial Heterogeneities and the Absence of Postmortem Contamination in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Microbiota: An Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI) Study
Microorganisms, v 13(4), 807
01 Apr 2025
PMID: 40284643
Featured in Collection : Research Supported by Drexel Libraries' OA Programs
Abstract
The discovery of profound differences in the brain microbiota of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and age-matched controls (AMCs) raised questions of postmortem contamination and bacterial transport processes which could be informed by microspatial heterogeneities. We performed semiquantitative species-specific bacterial analyses on multiple micro biopsies from each of the 30 brain specimens (AD and controls). We trimmed ~1 mm of each specimen’s edges for surface contaminants and made multiple sterile biopsy punches of the resultant core of each specimen. To identify species-specific abundances, we used our validated, semiquantitative, full-length 16S rRNA gene pan-domain amplification protocol followed by high-fidelity circular consensus sequencing performed on a Pacific Biosciences Sequel IIe instrument. Statistical analyses showed no significant increase in bacterial abundance on trimmed surfaces compared to core specimens, including C. acnes, the most abundant species previously identified in AD. We did find evidence of substantial bacterial species abundance differences among micro-biopsies obtained from within individual tissue blocks supporting our hypothesis of microspatial heterogeneities. The autopsy brain specimens used in our analyses in this study and our previous publication were not contaminated prior to or postharvesting but we suggest that future microbiological analyses of brain specimens include similar types of edge-core comparison analyses. Further, the species-level bacterial abundance heterogeneities among specimens of the same tissue suggest that multiple symbiotic processes may be occurring.
Metrics
13 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Microspatial Heterogeneities and the Absence of Postmortem Contamination in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Microbiota: An Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI) Study
- Creators
- Myat N. Thwe - Drexel UniversityYves A Mone - Drexel University, Microbiology and ImmunologyBhaswati Sen - Drexel University, College of MedicineSamuel J Czerski - Drexel University, Microbiology Department Internal ResearchAzad I Ahmed - Drexel University, Microbiology and ImmunologyJoshua P Earl - Drexel University, Microbiology and ImmunologyDonald Carl Hall - Drexel University, Microbiology and ImmunologyGarth D Ehrlich (Corresponding Author) - Drexel University, Microbiology and Immunology
- Publication Details
- Microorganisms, v 13(4), 807
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Number of pages
- 14
- Grant note
- James Truchard (G.D.E.), the Bill and Marian Cook Foundation (G.D.E.), the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease at Drexel University College of MedicineBill and Marian Cook FoundationDepartment of Microbiology and ImmunologyInstitute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease at Drexel University College of Medicine
Primary funding for this work was provided by the Oskar Fischer Project, a philanthropic initiative generously supported by James Truchard (G.D.E.), the Bill and Marian Cook Foundation (G.D.E.), the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease at Drexel University College of Medicine.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001476568000001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105003668160
- Other Identifier
- 991022040861704721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Microbiology