ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 2041

Disease Features of Systemic Sclerosis Are Associated with Alterations in Gastrointestinal Microbial Composition in Two Independent Cohorts

Kristofer Andréasson1, Sungeun Lee2, Venu Lagishetty2, Meifang Wu2, Natalie Howlett2, James English2, Roger Hesselstrand1, Jonathan Jacobs2 and Elizabeth Volkmann3, 1Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 2University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 3University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2020

Keywords: microbiome, Scleroderma, Systemic sclerosis

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Session Information

Date: Monday, November 9, 2020

Title: Systemic Sclerosis & Related Disorders – Clinical II: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials & Cohorts (2038–2042)

Session Type: Abstract Session

Session Time: 4:00PM-4:50PM

Background/Purpose: Previous studies have demonstrated alterations in GI microbiota of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared with healthy controls [1]. However, these prior studies did not adequately examine the impact of disease features and patient characteristics on microbial composition. The purpose of the present study was to examine associations between specific SSc disease features/patient characteristics and GI microbial composition using two independent SSc cohorts and compare GI microbiota between cohorts.

Methods: Patients fulfilling the 2013 ACR/EULAR Classification Criteria for SSc were recruited from the rheumatology clinics at Lund University, Sweden and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Unaffected controls were also recruited at Lund University. All participants provided stool specimens for 16S rRNA sequencing. Extensive clinical data were collected to evaluate the effects of specific disease features on lower GI microbiota. Alpha diversity was assessed by metrics of richness, evenness, and phylogenetic diversity. Beta diversity analysis was performed with DEICODE in QIIME2. Multivariate negative binomial models were used to identify differentially abundant bacterial genera associated with SSc disease features and cohort (UCLA SSc vs. Lund SSc; Lund SSc vs. Controls).

Results: Compared with the Lund SSc patients (N=106), UCLA SSc patients (N=71) had increased disease duration (median 7.1 vs. 2.0 years) and a higher prevalence of diffuse cutaneous disease (44% vs. 19%), interstitial lung disease (87% vs. 33%), Scl-70 antibody positivity (31% vs. 18%), and small intestine bacterial overgrowth [SIBO] (22% vs. 5%). However, both groups had a similar age, %female, and BMI. UCLA SSc patients had decreased alpha diversity (P< 0.0001 for all alpha diversity metrics) and altered beta diversity (P=0.0001; Figure 1) compared with Lund SSc patients. Factors significantly associated with alpha and/or beta diversity included age, sex, diffuse disease, disease duration, smoking history, and SIBO. After adjusting for the aforementioned factors, the Lund cohort had increased abundance of commensal genera (e.g. Bifidobacterium) and decreased abundance of potentially pathobiont genera (e.g. Streptococcus) compared with the UCLA cohort (Figure 2). Compared with unaffected controls from Lund (N=85), Lund SSc patients had increased abundance of pathobiont genera (e.g. Desulfovibrio) (Figure 3), consistent with our prior studies.

Conclusion: In the first study to examine the associations between specific disease features and GI microbial composition in two independent SSc cohorts, we found that both disease duration and SSc subtype independently affect microbial composition and should be considered in future SSc microbiome analyses. Even after controlling for potential confounders, genus level differences were observed between the two cohorts, suggesting that external factors, such as diet, geography and genetic factors, may affect GI microbial composition and should be taken into account in future studies.

References

  1. Volkmann ER, et al. Arthritis Rheum 2016.

Figure 1. Significant differences in the beta diversity of the Lund-SSc (Red) and UCLA-SSc (blue) patients as demonstrated by principal coordinate analysis plots of the robust Aitchison distance. Each dot represents a patient sample. The P-value (0.0001) was calculated by analysis of variance using distance matrices.

Figure 2. Genus level taxa with significant (q < 0.1) differential abundance in SSc patients from Lund, Sweden, and UCLA. Circles with a positive fold change score represent genera with increased abundance in the UCLA-SSc group and those with a negative fold change score represent genera with increased abundance in the Lund-SSc group. The color of the circle signifies the phylum level of the genera with differential abundance. The size of the circle indicates the relative abundance of the specific genus.

Figure 3. Genus level taxa with significant (q < 0.1) differential abundance in SSc patients and unaffected controls from Lund, Sweden, after adjusting for sex and age. Circles with a positive fold change score represent genera with increased abundance in the Lund-SSc group and those with a negative fold change score represent genera with increased abundance in the Lund-Control group. The color of the circle signifies the phylum level of the genera with differential abundance. The size of the circle indicates the relative abundance of the specific genus.


Disclosure: K. Andréasson, None; S. Lee, None; V. Lagishetty, None; M. Wu, None; N. Howlett, None; J. English, None; R. Hesselstrand, None; J. Jacobs, None; E. Volkmann, Boehringer Ingelheim, 2, 5, Forbius, 2, 5, Corbus, 2.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Andréasson K, Lee S, Lagishetty V, Wu M, Howlett N, English J, Hesselstrand R, Jacobs J, Volkmann E. Disease Features of Systemic Sclerosis Are Associated with Alterations in Gastrointestinal Microbial Composition in Two Independent Cohorts [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020; 72 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/disease-features-of-systemic-sclerosis-are-associated-with-alterations-in-gastrointestinal-microbial-composition-in-two-independent-cohorts/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

« Back to ACR Convergence 2020

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/disease-features-of-systemic-sclerosis-are-associated-with-alterations-in-gastrointestinal-microbial-composition-in-two-independent-cohorts/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology