Overview
- The study published May 20 in Cell Reports used samples from 335 people taken between October 2015 and February 2016 to track microbiome change during early WHO-supported medical visits.
- Within weeks to months of initial visits, gut microbial diversity fell and fiber-associated bacteria such as Prevotella and Treponema declined while groups common in industrialized populations rose.
- Analysis of microbial genes showed increased markers for simple-carbohydrate metabolism and a higher representation of genes linked to antimicrobial resistance after treatment.
- Shifts were strongest in children and were observed across multiple body sites, with oral diversity dropping, nasal communities changing, and skin microbiomes showing reduced diversity and compositional turnover.
- Authors stress the lifesaving value of onchocerciasis treatment while calling for research into microbiome-sparing protocols, recovery monitoring, and culturally informed strategies to protect or restore microbial diversity.