Friday, May 15, 2020 NIAID Scientists, Colleagues Discover Distinct Differences in Gut Microbiomes of People with HIV : Scanning electron micrograph of HIV particles infecting a human H9 T cell, colorized in blue, turqoise, and yellow. Credit: NIAID Recent findings in the field of microbiome research indicate that the inhabitants of our guts can greatly impact our overall health. Today, in Nature Communications, NIAID scientists and colleagues at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers describe key differences they identified in the gut microbiomes of people living with HIV compared to HIV-negative peers of similar age, weight and sexual background. Researchers found that the microbiota correlated with increased inflammation, which may in turn exacerbate complications like HIV-related heart disease.