Evidence mapPaperPMID 41527012Full record

ArticleAlzheimer's research & therapy2026

Dysbiotic shift in the oral microbiota of patients with Alzheimer's disease compared to their healthy life partners-a combinatorial approach and a paired study design.

Christian Weber, Daniel Wind, Patrick Petzsch, Tillmann Supprian, Alexander Dilthey, Julia Christl, Patrick Finzer

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Article in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Potential value of oral Mogibacterium in major depressive disorder.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026
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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Christian WeberInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany.
Daniel WindInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany.
Patrick PetzschGenomics and Transcriptomics Laboratory (GTL), Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Medical Faculty and University, Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany.
Tillmann SupprianDepartment of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, LVR-Clinic Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Bergische Landstraße 2, Düsseldorf, 40629, Germany.
Alexander DiltheyInstitute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany.
Julia Christl *Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, LVR-Clinic Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Virchowstraße 174, Essen, 45147, Germany.
Patrick Finzer *Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstrasse 1, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany. patrick.finzer@uni-duesseldorf.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe oral microbiota has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, earlier studies provided conflicting results using varying sampling methods, sequencing techniques, and statistics, as well as independent subjects.

methodsTo robustly identify disease-associated microbial features, we recruited patients and their healthy life partners from the same households sharing a more similar microbiota compared to independent individuals increasing statistical power via paired design and combined three different sequencing methods - including metagenomics-and several bioinformatic pipelines. We recruited 26 AD-patients and their life partners. Salivary and supragingival samples were collected and a clinical examination of the mouth was performed.

resultsBoth groups showed comparable oral health. By focusing primarily on recurrently identified species across the different datasets we were able to identify a Core dysbiosis. This Core dysbiosis surprisingly spares the most central of oral diseases pathogens, namely Porphyromonas gingivalis. However, it includes numerous other species commonly associated with oral pathologies such as Prevotella nigrescens, Streptococcus anginosus, Dialister invisus, Anaeroglobus geminatus, Olsenella uli and Mogibacterium timidum. In contrast, more host-compatible species such as Prevotella melaninogenica or Streptococcus parasanguinis are identified in controls.

conclusionsThis is the first study using a combined sequencing approach and a paired study design to identify robust features of the oral microbiota of AD-patients. Although promising, the results should nevertheless be interpreted with caution, as the cross-sectional study design limits the possibilities of interpretation, and larger, longitudinal data are necessary for causal conclusions. However, this combined approach on multiple processing levels to identify intra-partnership differences still offers the possibility to better identify disease-associated microbial features potentially involved in AD-pathogenesis.

trial registrationThis study was prospectively registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00023456) at the 30th of November 2020.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseDysbiosisMicrobiotaMouthAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMetagenomicsSalivaAlzheimerDementiaMetagenomicNext generation sequencingOral microbiotaPeriodontal diseaseSpouses

Identifiers

PMID41527012
PMCPMC12865950

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.