Fig. 2

Associations of contrasted bacterial species (metagenomics species (MGS)) with inflammatory markers. A Spearman’s correlations between contrasted bacterial species and fasting circulating inflammatory markers in the subgroup of treatment-naïve patients only. Only features with at least one p-value under 0.05 are displayed. Black dots denote correlations with FDR ≤ 0.1, while empty circles indicate correlation with P ≤ 0.05. The right side bars indicate the Cliff’s Delta (CD, effect size) of the feature in the cases/HC contrast (red: more abundant in cases; blue: more abundant in HC). B Relationships between abundance of Flavonifractor plautii and a group of fasting circulating inflammation markers. C Relationships between abundance of Clostridium leptum and expression of selected blood leukocyte genes. Spearman’s correlation coefficients along with the associated p-values are displayed. CD = Cliff’s Delta; MGS = metagenomics species. MS = multiple sclerosis patients, HC = healthy controls, EDSS = expanded disability status scale; MSSS = multiple sclerosis severity score (0: at baseline; 1: after 2-year follow-up)