Food Preservatives Induce Dysbiosis in Human-Microbiota Associated -Deficient Mice

The worldwide incidence of many immune-mediated and metabolic diseases, initially affecting only the wealthy Western countries, is increasing rapidly. Many of these diseases are associated with the compositional and functional alterations of gut microbiota, i.e., dysbiosis. The most consistent markers of the dysbiosis are a decrease in microbiota diversity and an expansion of . The role of food preservatives as potential triggers of gut microbiota dysbiosis has been long overlooked. Using a human microbiota-associated mouse model, we demonstrate that a mixture of common antimicrobial food additives induces dysbiosis characterised by an overgrowth of phylum and a decrease in the order. Remarkably, human gut microbiota in a -deficient genetic background is even more susceptible to the induction of dysbiosis by additives than the microbiota in a wild-type background. To conclude, our data demonstrate that antimicrobial food additives trigger gut microbiota dysbiosis in both wild-type and -deficient backgrounds and at the exposure levels reached in European populations. Whether this additive-modified gut microbiota plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated and metabolic diseases remains to be elucidated.