This study identifies distinct gut microbial taxa and elevated fecal short‑chain fatty acids (notably isovaleric/isobutyric/valeric acids) that distinguish drug‑naïve early PD from healthy controls and essential tremor with validated diagnostic AUCs of ~0.78–0.864.
Non‑invasive microbiome and SCFA signatures could enable earlier PD diagnosis and patient stratification and point to gut–brain metabolic pathways amenable to biomarker‑guided trials or microbiome‑targeted interventions.