{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T15:52:01Z","timestamp":1782316321904,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Research Institute of Medical Science"},{"name":"The Catholic University of Korea, Eunpyeong St Mary\u2019s Hospital","award":["EMBRF-2022-07"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EMBRF-2022-07"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003725","name":"National Research Foundation of Korea","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003725","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Ministry of Education","award":["RS-2023-00285353"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2023-00285353"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Microorganisms"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with the highest incidence in East Asia. Although H. pylori is a well-known risk factor, carcinogenesis can occur independently of H. pylori infection, and approximately 43% of adults carry H. pylori as part of their native microbiota. This study aimed to identify potential oral and gastric microbial markers across different histological stages of GC in both H. pylori-positive and -negative patients. Buccal swabs and gastric mucosa samples were collected from patients with intestinal metaplasia, low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, early GC, or advanced GC. Total DNA was extracted, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed. Microbiome diversity generally remained stable across histological stages, with no directional shifts in community structure. Differential abundance analysis revealed higher relative abundances of Anaerostipes, Phocaeicola, and Collinsella in the gastric antrum of cancerous samples. Anaerostipes and Phocaeicola are typically enriched in the intestinal microbiota but are rarely observed in the stomach, suggesting their potential ecological and pathological relevance in gastric carcinogenesis. In H. pylori-negative patients, however, a different stage-associated abundance pattern was observed, in which Faecalibacterium, a genus predominantly associated with the intestinal environment, was less abundant in advanced gastric cancer samples than in earlier histological stages within the gastric body. These findings suggest that microbial changes during gastric cancer progression may follow different trajectories depending on H. pylori infection status. In oral samples, Haemophilus and Prevotella were more abundant in intestinal metaplasia than in low-grade dysplasia, and network analysis indicated links between Neisseria and Filifactor at oral and gastric sites. However, as the study population was limited to a single country and ethnicity, the applicability of these microbial markers should be carefully considered.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms14010209","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]],"date-time":"2026-01-16T14:46:33Z","timestamp":1768574793000},"page":"209","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Characterization of the Oral and Stomach Microbial Community Structure in Patients with Intestinal Metaplasia, Dysplasia, and Gastric Cancer Through High-Throughput Sequencing"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0987-7488","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hokyung","family":"Song","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Engineering, Chosun University, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Institute of Well-Aging Medicare & CSU G-LAMP Project Group, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8004-3528","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seon Woo","family":"Oh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Eunpyeong St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9274-882X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jung-Hwan","family":"Oh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Eunpyeong St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 03312, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tatsuya","family":"Unno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Chungbuk National University, Seowon-gu, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"209","article-title":"Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries","volume":"71","author":"Sung","year":"2021","journal-title":"CA A Cancer J. Clin."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1053\/j.gastro.2022.03.039","article-title":"Effect of Helicobacter pylori Eradication on Gastric Cancer Prevention: Updated Report From a Randomized Controlled Trial With 26.5 Years of Follow-up","volume":"163","author":"Yan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Gastroenterology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1127","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJM199110173251603","article-title":"Helicobacter pylori Infection and the Risk of Gastric Carcinoma","volume":"325","author":"Parsonnet","year":"1991","journal-title":"N. Engl. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2113","DOI":"10.1136\/gutjnl-2020-320839","article-title":"Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy to prevent gastric cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"69","author":"Ford","year":"2020","journal-title":"Gut"},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"100561","article-title":"Helicobacter pylori and immunotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer","volume":"5","author":"Jia","year":"2024","journal-title":"Innovation"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"684","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gastha.2023.03.010","article-title":"Non-Helicobacter pylori Gastric Microbiome Modulates Prooncogenic Responses and Is Associated With Gastric Cancer Risk","volume":"2","author":"Niikura","year":"2023","journal-title":"Gastro Hep Adv."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kim, H.-N., Kim, M.-J., Jacobs, J.P., and Yang, H.-J. (2025). Gastric Microbiota Associated with Gastric Precancerous Lesions in Helicobacter pylori-Negative Patients. Microorganisms, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/microorganisms13010081"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2062","DOI":"10.1136\/gutjnl-2024-332815","article-title":"Stomach microbiota in gastric cancer development and clinical implications","volume":"73","author":"Zeng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Gut"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8089","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-87600-5","article-title":"Changes in oral flora of patients with functional dyspepsia","volume":"11","author":"Liu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"928","DOI":"10.1002\/ijc.33848","article-title":"Oral and gastric microbiome in relation to gastric intestinal metaplasia","volume":"150","author":"Wu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Cancer"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20","DOI":"10.1186\/s12967-024-05989-9","article-title":"Metagenomic characterization of oral microbiome signatures to predict upper gastrointestinal and pancreaticobiliary cancers: A case\u2013control study","volume":"23","author":"Oh","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Transl. Med."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2451921","DOI":"10.1080\/20002297.2025.2451921","article-title":"An oral microbiota-based deep neural network model for risk stratification and prognosis prediction in gastric cancer","volume":"17","author":"Gao","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. Oral Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2391640","DOI":"10.1080\/20002297.2024.2391640","article-title":"Oral microbiota and gastric cancer: Recent highlights and knowledge gaps","volume":"16","author":"Xia","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Oral Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"590","DOI":"10.3904\/kjim.2023.490","article-title":"Increasing correlation between oral and gastric microbiota during gastric carcinogenesis","volume":"39","author":"You","year":"2024","journal-title":"Korean J. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2173","DOI":"10.14309\/ajg.0000000000003279","article-title":"Oral Microbiome Dysbiosis Is Associated With Precancerous Lesions and Disorders of Upper Gastrointestinal Tract: A Population-Based Study","volume":"120","author":"Sadeghi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am. J. Gastroenterol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/s41522-024-00623-4","article-title":"The dynamic oral\u2013gastric microbial axis connects oral and gastric health: Current evidence and disputes","volume":"11","author":"Xia","year":"2025","journal-title":"npj Biofilms Microbiomes"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"466","DOI":"10.3748\/wjg.v26.i5.466","article-title":"Endoscopic Kyoto classification of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer risk diagnosis","volume":"26","author":"Toyoshima","year":"2020","journal-title":"World J. Gastroenterol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"D633","DOI":"10.1093\/nar\/gkt1244","article-title":"Ribosomal Database Project: Data and tools for high throughput rRNA analysis","volume":"42","author":"Cole","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nucleic Acids Res."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4202","DOI":"10.1038\/srep04202","article-title":"Stomach microbiota composition varies between patients with non-atrophic gastritis and patients with intestinal type of gastric cancer","volume":"4","author":"Mantilla","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0132224","DOI":"10.1128\/msystems.01322-24","article-title":"The association between oral microbiome and gastric precancerous lesions","volume":"10","author":"Chen","year":"2025","journal-title":"mSystems"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"226","DOI":"10.1136\/gutjnl-2017-314205","article-title":"Gastric microbial community profiling reveals a dysbiotic cancer-associated microbiota","volume":"67","author":"Ferreira","year":"2018","journal-title":"Gut"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gunathilake, M., Lee, J., Choi, I.J., Kim, Y.-I., Yoon, J., Sul, W.J., Kim, J.F., and Kim, J. (2020). Alterations in Gastric Microbial Communities Are Associated with Risk of Gastric Cancer in a Korean Population: A Case-Control Study. Cancers, 12.","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-45990\/v1"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e12386","DOI":"10.1111\/hel.12386","article-title":"Survival of Helicobacter pylori in gastric acidic territory","volume":"22","author":"Ansari","year":"2017","journal-title":"Helicobacter"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"505","DOI":"10.4161\/gmic.26205","article-title":"The role of the gastrointestinal microbiome in Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis","volume":"4","author":"Sheh","year":"2013","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Guo, Y., Cao, X.-S., Zhou, M.-G., and Yu, B. (2023). Gastric microbiota in gastric cancer: Different roles of Helicobacter pylori and other microbes. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol., 12.","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2022.1105811"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1078\/0723-2020-00096","article-title":"Anaerostipes caccae gen. nov., sp. nov., a New Saccharolytic, Acetate-utilising, Butyrate-producing Bacterium from Human Faeces","volume":"25","author":"Schwiertz","year":"2002","journal-title":"Syst. Appl. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10109","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-59148-7","article-title":"Genome plasticity shapes the ecology and evolution of Phocaeicola dorei and Phocaeicola vulgatus","volume":"14","author":"Grimaud","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2309683","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2024.2309683","article-title":"Phocaeicola vulgatus alleviates diet-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease progression by downregulating histone acetylation level via 3-HPAA","volume":"16","author":"Jin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e00816\u201300823","DOI":"10.1128\/msphere.00816-23","article-title":"Anaerostipes hadrus, a butyrate-producing bacterium capable of metabolizing 5-fluorouracil","volume":"9","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"mSphere"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"612","DOI":"10.5009\/gnl16488","article-title":"Risk Factors for Gastric Tumorigenesis in Underlying Gastric Mucosal Atrophy","volume":"11","author":"Song","year":"2017","journal-title":"Gut Liver"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Li, W., and Zhang, T. (2025). Precancerous pathways to gastric cancer: A review of experimental animal models recapitulating the correa cascade. Front. Cell Dev. Biol., 13.","DOI":"10.3389\/fcell.2025.1620756"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2017.1406584","article-title":"Low dietary fiber intake increases Collinsella abundance in the gut microbiota of overweight and obese pregnant women","volume":"9","author":"Barrett","year":"2018","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Huang, K., Gao, X., Wu, L., Yan, B., Wang, Z., Zhang, X., Peng, L., Yu, J., Sun, G., and Yang, Y. (2021). Salivary Microbiota for Gastric Cancer Prediction: An Exploratory Study. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol., 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fcimb.2021.640309"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"fuad039","DOI":"10.1093\/femsre\/fuad039","article-title":"Faecalibacterium: A bacterial genus with promising human health applications","volume":"47","author":"Huillet","year":"2023","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiol. Rev."}],"container-title":["Microorganisms"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2607\/14\/1\/209\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,18]],"date-time":"2026-01-18T05:12:29Z","timestamp":1768713149000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2607\/14\/1\/209"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]]},"references-count":34,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1]]}},"alternative-id":["microorganisms14010209"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/microorganisms14010209","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2607"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2607","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,16]]}}}