Trillions of microorganisms inhabit the human gut and are regarded as potential key factors for health^1,2. Characteristics such as diet, lifestyle, or genetics can shape the composition of the gut microbiota^2-6 and are usually shared by individuals from comparable ethnic origin. So far, most studies assessing how ethnicity relates to the intestinal microbiota compared small groups living at separate geographical locations^7-10. Using fecal 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing in 2,084 participants of the Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) study^11,12, we show that individuals living in the same city tend to share similar gut microbiota characteristics with others of their ethnic background. Ethnicity contributed to explain the interindividual dissimilarities in gut microbiota composition, with three main poles primarily characterized by operational taxonomic units (OTUs) classified as Prevotella (Moroccans, Turks, Ghanaians), Bacteroides (African Surinamese, South-Asian Surinamese), and Clostridiales (Dutch). The Dutch exhibited the greatest gut microbiota α-diversity and the South-Asian Surinamese the smallest, with corresponding enrichment or depletion in numerous OTUs. Ethnic differences in α-diversity and interindividual dissimilarities were independent of metabolic health and only partly explained by ethnic-related characteristics including sociodemographic, lifestyle, or diet factors. Hence, the ethnic origin of individuals may be an important factor to consider in microbiome research and its potential future applications in ethnic-diverse societies.

中文翻译：

---

描绘了具有不同种族但共同地理的人群中肠道微生物群的组成。

数以万亿计的微生物栖息在人体肠道中，被视为健康的潜在关键因素^1,2。饮食、生活方式或遗传等特征可以塑造肠道微生物群的组成^2-6，并且通常由具有可比种族血统的个体共享。到目前为止，大多数评估种族与肠道微生物群关系的研究都比较了生活在不同地理位置的小群体^7-10。在城市环境中的健康生活 (HELIUS) 研究的 2,084 名参与者中使用粪便 16S 核糖体 RNA 基因测序^11,12，我们表明生活在同一城市的个人倾向于与其他种族背景的人具有相似的肠道微生物群特征。种族有助于解释肠道微生物群组成的个体间差异，三个主要极点主要以操作分类单位 (OTU) 为特征，分为普雷沃菌属（摩洛哥人、土耳其人、加纳人）、拟杆菌属（非洲苏里南人、南亚苏里南人）和梭菌目。荷兰语）。荷兰人的肠道菌群 α 多样性最大，南亚苏里南人最小，在许多 OTU 中相应地富集或减少。α多样性和个体间差异的种族差异与代谢健康无关，仅部分由种族相关特征（包括社会人口学、生活方式或饮食因素）解释。