gt;0.05). Within the PLWH group, there was a noteworthy decrease in the abundance of genera associated with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, namely Akkermansia, Alistipes, Bacteroides, Barnesiella, while Prevotella, Alloprevotella and Catenibacterium genera were significantly more abundant, compared with the control group. The distribution of bacterial genera remained consistent regardless of the duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART)