A rapid, affordable, and reliable method for profiling microbiome biomarkers from fecal images

Human and veterinary healthcare professionals are interested in utilizing the gut-microbiome as a target to diagnose, treat, and prevent (gastrointestinal) diseases. However, the current microbiome analysis techniques are expensive and time-consuming, and data interpretation requires the expertise of specialists. Therefore, we explored the development and application of artificial intelligence technology for rapid, affordable, and reliable microbiome profiling in rhesus macaques (<i>Macaca mulatta</i>). Tailor-made learning algorithms were created by integrating digital images of fecal samples with corresponding whole-genome sequenced microbial profiles. These algorithms were trained to identify alpha-diversity (Shannon index), key microbial markers, and fecal consistency from the digital images of fecal smears. A binary classification strategy was applied to distinguish between samples with high and low diversity and presence or absence of selected bacterial genera. Our results revealed a successful proof of concept for "high and low" prediction of diversity, fecal consistency, and "present or absent" for selected bacterial genera.