Previous study showed that mucin-degraders (family Prevotellaceae) were enriched in patients with depression and anxiety47, and a further subgroup analysis of present study also supported a near-significant increase of Akkermansia in unaffected controls with antidepressant (n = 5, P value = 0.056) when comparing to those without (Supplementary Fig. 9b). Here, MUC5AC is linked to depressive disorder.