The pronounced dysbiosis observed in Modic Type 1 patients – who exhibited more severe inflammatory profiles (mean serum CRP: 20.2 ± 11.0 mg/L) and advanced disc degeneration (62.5% with Pfirrmann grade V collapse) – may indicate that microbial imbalances either exacerbate or contribute to the inflammatory processes underlying MC I. This subtype is pathologically defined by active inflammation without adipose replacement (Jensen et al., 2008). Here, CRP is linked to intervertebral disk degenerative disorder.