Maximize Microbiome Research in Neurotrauma and Other Fields: A Proposal to Require Microbiome Abundance Data Accessibility for Publication: Response to You W et al., Traumatic Brain Injury Induces Gastrointestinal Dysfunction and Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota Accompanied by Alterations of Bile Acid Profile (DOI: 10.1089/neu.2020.7526).

Microbiome research is a burgeoning field increasing our understanding of various disease states. Recent studies observed microbiome changes post traumatic brain injury (TBI) including a 2022 Journal of Neurotrauma publication by You et al. To build upon evidence from You et al. and similar articles, our laboratory initiated a systematic review on post-TBI microbiome alterations. Unfortunately, we discovered that many publications, including You et al., lack specific bacterial abundance values for future data synthesis. Our letter to the editor addresses absent numerical data in the field and introduces a proposal for journals to require access to bacterial abundance upon submission.