Gut microbiota composition and diversity in the elderly supported by institution-based care and home-based care
Objective 
To investigate the gut microbiota diversity between the elderly supported by institution-based care and home-based care. 
 
 
Methods 
Fresh stool samples were collected from 18 aged persons supported by institution-based care (G1 group), 20 aged persons with home-based care (G2 group) and 20 middle-aged and young adults (G3 group). The V3-V4 hypervariable region of 16S rDNA was amplified and sequenced by next generation sequencing technology. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were analyzed by QIIME analysis platform for species annotation, diversity analysis, and inter-group difference analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using RStudio software. 
 
 
Results 
The top 6 microbiological taxa in the three groups were Firmicute, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria and Verrucomicrobia. The abundance of the Firmicute in the G1 and G2 groups showed significant differences [(61.47±5.58)% vs (76.55±3.64)%, P 0.05). Results of the NMDS analysis showed that the intra-group differences were greater than inter-group differences in G1 and G2 groups. 
 
 
Conclusions 
No significant difference in the diversity of gut microbiota was detected between the elderly supported by institution-based care and home-based care, but there were differences in the composition of the predominant gut microbiota. 
 
 
Key words: 
Institution-based care; Home-based care; Gut microbiota; 16S rRNA