Characteristic alterations of gut microbiota and metabolites in patients with perianal abscess: a multi-omics analysis.

Background/objectives: Various studies have highlighted the important associations between perianal abscess (PA) and gut microbiota and related metabolites. Nevertheless, the establishment of causal relationships between these associations remains to be determined. This study aimed to provide direct evidence and a comprehensive understanding of gut microbiota disturbance in children with PA through combined 16S rRNA sequencing and untargeted metabolomic analysis. Methods: Thirty three children with PA and 16 healthy controls (HC) were continuously enrolled, and the demographic and clinical characteristics of the subjects were collected. First, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to evaluate differences in the gut microbiota between children with PA and the HC group, and 10 children with PA and 10 children in the HC group were randomly selected for non-targeted metabolomic analysis. Results: There were significant differences in the gut microbiota diversity and composition between children with PA and HC. Comprehensive analyses revealed an elevation of the genus Conclusions: This study provides new evidence of the pathogenesis of PA. There are significant differences in the gut microbiota, metabolites, and metabolic pathways between HC and children with PA, and the differences in metabolites are related to specific changes in bacterial abundance. These findings provide a foundation for future studies aimed at exploring targeted microbiome-based therapeutic strategies for managing PA in pediatric populations.