Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex brain disorder involving a multitude of
contributing factors ranging from environmental to genetic. Interestingly, it has been found
that the gut microbial community is altered in PD patients when compared to that of non-PD
individuals. However, the factors contributing to altered gut microbiota remain largely
unexplored. As such, the first objective of our study was to determine whether a difference
exists between the gut microbial community structure of PD patients and controls in the
current data set. Subsequently, we aimed to analyze the relationship between the consumption
of coffee and antibiotics and the observed alteration in the gut microbial communities in PD
patients. We confirmed, in the current data set, that PD patients possess significantly different
microbial community structures when compared to controls. While some previous studies
have suggested antibiotics to be a potential trigger for alterations in gut microbiota
characteristic of PD, we found that antibiotic consumption does not induce significant
alterations to the gut microbial community structure. However, although overall microbial
community structure is not significantly affected, it was found that Bifidobacterium
abundance is altered by antibiotic consumption. Additionally, coffee consumption, regardless
of frequency, did not result in significant differences in gut microbial composition. Therefore,
research examining other factors should be pursued as an understanding of the cause of altered
gut microbial community structure in PD patients could allow for the development of
diagnostic treatment methods which could be critical in combating PD. CLICK TO REVIEW