Tongue-Coating Mycobiome Alterations in Gout Across Clinical Statuses: Taxonomic, Predicted Functional, and Exploratory Classification Analyses
This study aimed to characterize the tongue-coating mycobiome in gout and assess its clinical and potential diagnostic relevance. We compared fungal profiles between patients with gout and healthy controls and across different gout clinical statuses, while examining clinical associations, predicted functions, and discriminatory taxa. The findings suggest that tongue-coating fungi undergo selective, status-related ecological remodeling in gout and may serve as accessible noninvasive markers of disease status.