AUTHOR=Wang Ling , Li Na , Zheng Yuchen , Huang Qiong , Cui Guangying , Cheng Xiaoshuai , He Yu , Niu Yifei , Sun Yumei , Wang Xiaoming , Luo Hong , Liu Pengfei , Tan Junjie , Huang Bingsen , Li Li , Ma Peiyao , Li Dandan , Li Yanyan , Li Jing , Yu Zujiang , Ren Zhigang , Yuan Yiqiang 

TITLE=The tongue coating microbiome is perturbed in atrial fibrillation and partly normalized after catheter ablation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1508089

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2025.1508089

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=BackgroundThere is accumulating evidence linking the microbiome and cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, no existing studies have been conducted on atrial fibrillation (AF) and the oral microbiome.Materials and methodsWe collected and sequenced 245 AF tongue-coating samples and 26 AF samples after catheter ablation from Zhengzhou and Guangshan, China. We characterized tongue coating microbiome, constructed microbial classifiers in the discovery cohort, and verified their diagnostic potential in a cross-regional cohort.ResultsTongue coating microbial richness and diversity were significantly increased in the AF group compared to the control group, indicating increased bacterial colonization. The classifiers based on four optimal tongue coating microbial markers achieved good diagnostic efficiency in AF cohorts, with area under the curve (AUC) of 99.10 and 98.62% in the discovery and validation cohorts, respectively, and 97.97% in the cross-regional cohort. Paroxysmal AF and persistent AF shared similar taxonomic features, but some specific differential bacteria acted in the AF progression. Moreover, the outcomes revealed that catheter ablation contributed to rehabilitating oral bacterial disorders.ConclusionThis was the first cross-sectional and longitudinal research of oral microbiome in AF patients and the alternations after catheter ablation, which offers promising new perspectives for AF clinical diagnosis and management.