Figure 5: Bifidobacteria expansion and associated metabolite production are associated with decreased incidence of systemic infection and prolonged survival.

(A) A Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) showing the significant (Wilcoxon rank-sum, two-tailed, p ≤ 0.05) effect sizes of taxa between groups. (B) Acetate (mM) and taurocholic acid (μg/mL) were quantified, and (C) conversion from conjugated-primary BA to primary BA and then to secondary BAs was tested for each sample. Each point represents a molar ratio for an individual sample. (A-C) Sample size: n = 101 (no SBP), n = 21 (SBP)). (D) LEfSe showing the significant (Wilcoxon rank- sum, two-tailed, p ≤ 0.05) effect sizes of taxa between groups. (E) Acetate (mM) and taurocholic acid (μg/mL) were quantified, and (F) conversion from conjugated-primary BA to primary BA and then to secondary BAs was tested for each sample. Each point represents a molar ratio for an individual sample. (D-F) Sample size: n = 227 (no bacteremia), n = 19 (bacteremia)). (B,C,E, and F) Each point represents a single sample. Median and interquartile range are indicated by the horizontal line and box, respectively. The lower vertical line depicts Q1 – 1.5*IQR and the upper vertical line depicts Q3 + 1.5*IQR. Statistical comparisons between individual groups were analyzed using a two-tailed Wilcoxon rank sum test. P-values are adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. Survival curves were stratified based on (G) initial stool sample alpha-diversity or (H) lactulose administration and Bifidobacteria expansion of the initial stool sample. The number at risk for each condition at each 10-day interval is shown below the survival curve. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves, and the p-value was obtained from a log-rank test. CA: cholic acid, TCA: taurocholic acid, DCA: deoxycholic acid.