Gut microbial features may influence antiviral IgG levels after vaccination against viral respiratory infectious diseases: the evidence from two-sample bidirectional mendelian randomization.

backgroundVaccination is effective in preventing viral respiratory infectious diseases through protective antibodies and the gut microbiome has been proven to regulate human immunity. This study explores the causal correlations between gut microbial features and serum-specific antiviral immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels.

methodsWe conduct a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data to explore the causal relationships between 412 gut microbial features and four antiviral IgG (for influenza A, measles, rubella, and mumps) levels. To make the results more reliable, we used four robust methods and performed comprehensive sensitivity analyses.

resultsThe MR analyses revealed 26, 13, 20, and 18 causal associations of the gut microbial features influencing four IgG levels separately. ​Interestingly, ten microbial features, like genus Collinsella, species Bifidobacterium longum, and the biosynthesis of L-alanine have shown the capacity to regulate multiple IgG levels with consistent direction (rise or fall). The ​reverse MR analysis suggested several potential causal associations of IgG levels affecting microbial features.

conclusionsThe human immune response against viral respiratory infectious diseases could be modulated by changing the abundance of gut microbes, which provided new approaches for the intervention of viral respiratory infections.