LAUSR

We read with interest the recent article by Chan et al (Gut, 2020; 0:1–10) analysing Fusobacterium diversity in the southern Chinese population.1 Fusobacterium nucleatum has been proven to be involved in the occurrence and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC); therefore, F. nucleatum has attracted more academic interest than other Fusobacterium species.2–5 Nevertheless, Chan et al ’s study made a critical observation: individuals in China (Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Zhejiang) with and without cancer harbour non-nucleatum types of Fusobacterium species as the dominating taxa. Similarly, Geva-Zatorsky et al reported that F. varium can exert a greater phenotypical impact in the host than F. nucleatum .6 Herein, we analysed the fusobacterial diversity in a Chinese population comprising 7009 individuals across 14 districts to provide a comprehensive understanding of Fusobacterium lineage distributions and their correlation with host parameters.7 8 Because the present dataset is based on 16S rRNA gene V4 sequencing, we first proved that these sequences can be …