Gut Microbiota Recovery After Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Microorganisms·
- DOI
- 10.3390/microorganisms14081843
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203742591
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The synthesis highlights unresolved questions regarding how antiviral success translates to intestinal ecosystem restoration, indicating a documented gap in characterizing associated functional and clinical outcomes.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
Does successful viral eradication through direct-acting antiviral therapy restore normal intestinal microbial profiles in patients with chronic hepatitis C?
Study design
A systematic review and meta-analysis aggregating longitudinal data from studies that utilized sequencing techniques to evaluate fecal microbiota in adults undergoing direct-acting antiviral treatment.
Population and setting
Adult individuals diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C virus infection enrolled in direct-acting antiviral treatment cohorts across multiple regions.
Main findings
Pooled statistical estimates revealed negligible shifts in overall microbial evenness following treatment, while species richness demonstrated modest improvements. Specific advantageous bacterial genera exhibited increased abundance after achieving sustained virologic response, though confidence intervals remained broad.
Public-health relevance
The synthesis highlights unresolved questions regarding how antiviral success translates to intestinal ecosystem restoration, indicating a documented gap in characterizing associated functional and clinical outcomes.
Important limitations
The analysis incorporated a limited number of longitudinal reports, displayed considerable statistical heterogeneity, and was rated as having very low overall certainty. Potential duplication of participants across regional datasets and an absence of functional or clinical correlation data further constrain the conclusions.
GIDS interpretation
This work serves as a consolidated reference for tracking post-therapeutic intestinal microbial patterns in hepatitis C management, providing foundational context for academic inquiries into treatment-related ecological shifts.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 6 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.