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Frontiers in Immunology 2023is the etiologic agent of porcine proliferative enteropathy (PPE), an inflammatory bowel disease with a major economic impact on the pig industry. The serological...
is the etiologic agent of porcine proliferative enteropathy (PPE), an inflammatory bowel disease with a major economic impact on the pig industry. The serological diagnosis of PPE can be performed using Blocking or Indirect ELISA, Immunoperoxidase Monolayer Assay (IPMA) and Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT). Here, we designed a most sophisticated immunological method for the detection of porcine anti- IgGs, named Flow Cytometry Antibody Test - FCAT. This assay uses whole, live-attenuated bacteria derived from a commercial vaccine. For the assay, we set up the optimal antigen concentration (10 bacterium/assay), primary antibody dilution (1:100), time of incubation (20 min), antigen stability (15 days), precision (coefficient of variation - CV < 10%), reproducibility (CV ≤ 13%) and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC). When using a of >15.15% for FCAT, we determined that it showed a sensitivity of 98.8% and specificity of 100%. The rate of agreement with IPMA was 84.09% with a kappa index of 0.66. FCAT was used to screen 1,000 sera from non-vaccinated pigs housed in 22 different farms and we found that 730 pigs (73%) from 16 farms (72.7%) had IgG. This high prevalence confirms that is endemic on Brazilian pig farms. Finally, we determined that FCAT is an easy to perform diagnostic assay and we would highly recommend it for: i) seroepidemiological studies; ii) evaluation of infection dynamics; and iii) characterization of the humoral response profile induced by vaccines.
Topics: Swine; Animals; Lawsonia Bacteria; Desulfovibrionaceae Infections; Flow Cytometry; Reproducibility of Results; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
PubMed: 37033985
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1145072 -
Microbiome Apr 2023Mangrove ecosystems are considered as hot spots of biogeochemical cycling, yet the diversity, function and coupling mechanism of microbially driven biogeochemical...
BACKGROUND
Mangrove ecosystems are considered as hot spots of biogeochemical cycling, yet the diversity, function and coupling mechanism of microbially driven biogeochemical cycling along the sediment depth of mangrove wetlands remain elusive. Here we investigated the vertical profile of methane (CH), nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) cycling genes/pathways and their potential coupling mechanisms using metagenome sequencing approaches.
RESULTS
Our results showed that the metabolic pathways involved in CH, N and S cycling were mainly shaped by pH and acid volatile sulphide (AVS) along a sediment depth, and AVS was a critical electron donor impacting mangrove sediment S oxidation and denitrification. Gene families involved in S oxidation and denitrification significantly (P < 0.05) decreased along the sediment depth and could be coupled by S-driven denitrifiers, such as Burkholderiaceae and Sulfurifustis in the surface sediment (0-15 cm). Interestingly, all S-driven denitrifier metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) appeared to be incomplete denitrifiers with nitrate/nitrite/nitric oxide reductases (Nar/Nir/Nor) but without nitrous oxide reductase (Nos), suggesting such sulphide-utilizing groups might be an important contributor to NO production in the surface mangrove sediment. Gene families involved in methanogenesis and S reduction significantly (P < 0.05) increased along the sediment depth. Based on both network and MAG analyses, sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) might develop syntrophic relationships with anaerobic CH oxidizers (ANMEs) by direct electron transfer or zero-valent sulphur, which would pull forward the co-existence of methanogens and SRB in the middle and deep layer sediments.
CONCLUSIONS
In addition to offering a perspective on the vertical distribution of microbially driven CH, N and S cycling genes/pathways, this study emphasizes the important role of S-driven denitrifiers on NO emissions and various possible coupling mechanisms of ANMEs and SRB along the mangrove sediment depth. The exploration of potential coupling mechanisms provides novel insights into future synthetic microbial community construction and analysis. This study also has important implications for predicting ecosystem functions within the context of environmental and global change. Video Abstract.
Topics: Methane; Nitrogen; Microbiota; Desulfovibrio; Sulfur; Sulfides; Geologic Sediments
PubMed: 37020239
DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01501-5 -
Microorganisms Mar 2023The balance of microbial communities in the gut is extremely important for normal physiological function. Disruption of the balance is often associated with various...
The balance of microbial communities in the gut is extremely important for normal physiological function. Disruption of the balance is often associated with various disorders and diseases. Both HIV infection and cocaine use are known to change the gut microbiota and the epithelial barrier integrity, which contribute to inflammation and immune activation. Our recent study shows that Tat expression and cocaine exposure result in changes of genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression and lead to worsen the learning and memory impairments. In the current study, we extended the study to determine effects of Tat and cocaine on the gut microbiota composition. We found that both Tat expression and cocaine exposure increased Alteromonadaceae in 6-month-old female/male mice. In addition, we found that Tat, cocaine, or both increased Alteromonadaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Cyanobiaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Muribaculaceae but decreased Clostridiales_vadinBB60_group, Desulfovibrionaceae, Helicobacteraceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae in 12-month-old female mice. Lastly, we analyzed changes of metabolic pathways and found that Tat decreased energy metabolism and nucleotide metabolism, and increased lipid metabolism and metabolism of other amino acids while cocaine increased lipid metabolism in 12-month-old female mice. These results demonstrated that Tat expression and cocaine exposure resulted in significant changes of the gut microbiota in an age- and sex-dependent manner and provide additional evidence to support the bidirectional gut-brain axis hypothesis.
PubMed: 36985373
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11030799 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2023Chinese indigenous chicken breeds are widely used as food in China but their slow growth rate and long farming cycle has limited their industrial production.
INTRODUCTION
Chinese indigenous chicken breeds are widely used as food in China but their slow growth rate and long farming cycle has limited their industrial production.
METHODS
In the current study we examined whether the market weights of native chicken breeds were related to specific cecal bacteria, serum metabolites and inflammatory cytokines. We examined cecal bacterial taxa using 16S rDNA analysis along with untargeted serum metabolites and serum inflammatory cytokines.
RESULTS
We found that the cecal microbiota could explain 10.1% of the individual differences in chicken weights and identified key cecal bacterial genera that influenced this phenotype. The presence of spp. improved growth performance via bovinic acid metabolism. In contrast, and had a negative effect on growth by inducing expression of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6.
DISCUSSION
We were able to link specific bacterial genera with growth promotion in chickens and this study will allow further development of their use as probiotics in these animals.
PubMed: 36910194
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1060458 -
Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2023To study the efficacy of Qianshan Huoxue Gao (QS) in treating acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to explore the mechanism of action from the perspective of intestinal...
PURPOSE
To study the efficacy of Qianshan Huoxue Gao (QS) in treating acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to explore the mechanism of action from the perspective of intestinal flora regulation.
METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, model, QS, and atorvastatin groups; except for the control group, rats underwent ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. Following treatment for 28 days, cardiac function was evaluated using an echocardiographic assay; ELISAs for serum creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-2 (IL-2), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); assessment of cardiac enzymes and inflammatory response; hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining for histopathological changes in the heart, skin, and viscera; 16S rRNA gene sequencing for intestinal flora diversity and structural differences analysis; and we further investigated intestinal contents using metabolomics.
RESULTS
Compared with controls, CK-MB and cTnI were increased (<0.01); ejection factor and fractional shortening were decreased (<0.01); left ventricular internal end-diastolic dimension and left ventricular internal end-systolic dimension were increased (<0.01); and IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, and hs-CRP were increased in the model group. Myocardial damage and inflammation were also observed by HE staining. QS improved these indexes, similar to the atorvastatin group; therefore, QS could effectively treat ACS. QS modulates the structure and abundance of the intestinal flora in ACS model rats, among which , and are associated with cardiovascular disease. Metabolomics revealed that the intestinal metabolite content changed in ACS, with ethanolamine (EA) being the most relevant metabolite for ACS treatment by QS. EA was significantly positively correlated with , and .
CONCLUSION
QS can effectively treat ACS and can restore regulation of the intestinal flora. EA may be the primary metabolite of QS, exerting a therapeutic effect in ACS.
Topics: Male; Animals; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Acute Coronary Syndrome; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Interleukin-2; Atorvastatin; C-Reactive Protein; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Interleukin-6; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Ethanolamine; Ethanolamines
PubMed: 36855515
DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S396649 -
Nature Communications Feb 2023Deep sea cold seep sediments host abundant and diverse microbial populations that significantly influence biogeochemical cycles. While numerous studies have revealed...
Deep sea cold seep sediments host abundant and diverse microbial populations that significantly influence biogeochemical cycles. While numerous studies have revealed their community structure and functional capabilities, little is known about genetic heterogeneity within species. Here, we examine intraspecies diversity patterns of 39 abundant species identified in sediment layers down to 430 cm below the sea floor across six cold seep sites. These populations are grouped as aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria, anaerobic methanotrophic archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Different evolutionary trajectories are observed at the genomic level among these physiologically and phylogenetically diverse populations, with generally low rates of homologous recombination and strong purifying selection. Functional genes related to methane (pmoA and mcrA) and sulfate (dsrA) metabolisms are under strong purifying selection in most species investigated. These genes differ in evolutionary trajectories across phylogenetic clades but are functionally conserved across sites. Intrapopulation diversification of genomes and their mcrA and dsrA genes is depth-dependent and subject to different selection pressure throughout the sediment column redox zones at different sites. These results highlight the interplay between ecological processes and the evolution of key bacteria and archaea in deep sea cold seep extreme environments, shedding light on microbial adaptation in the subseafloor biosphere.
Topics: Phylogeny; Acclimatization; Archaea; Desulfovibrio; Sulfates
PubMed: 36854684
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36877-3 -
Journal of Affective Disorders May 2023Several studies have linked gut microbiota to human brain activity. This study used Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causal relationship between gut...
BACKGROUND
Several studies have linked gut microbiota to human brain activity. This study used Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causal relationship between gut microbes and delirium.
METHODS
MR was used to select SNPs from large-scale GWAS summary data on 211 gut microbiota taxa and delirium. Inverse variance weighting (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger methods were used for statistical analyses. Outliers were assessed using the leave-one-out method. To avoid horizontal pleiotropy, we performed the MR-PRESSO and MR-Egger intercept tests. Cochran's Q and I values for IVW and MR-Egger were used to assess heterogeneity.
RESULTS
IVW suggested that genetic prediction of the family Desulfovibrionaceae (1.784 (1.267-2.512), P = 0.001), order Desulfovibrionales (1.501 (1.058-2.128), P = 0.023), and genus Candidatus Soleaferrea (1.322 (1.052-1.659), P = 0.016) increased the risk of delirium, but the family Oxalobacteraceae (0.841 (0.722-0.981), P = 0.027), and genera Holdemania (0.766 (0.620-0.946), P = 0.013), Ruminococcus gnavus (0.806 (0.661-0.982), P = 0.033), and Eggerthella (0.815 (0.667-0.997), P = 0.047) reduced the risk of delirium.
LIMITATIONS
(1) Limited sample size, (2) inability to assess gut microbiota interactions, and (3) limited to European populations.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that presence of the microbial family Desulfovibrionaceae, order Desulfovibrionales, and genus Candidatus Soleaferrea increased the risk of delirium, whereas the Oxalobacteraceae family, and the genera Holdemania, Ruminococcus gnavus, and Eggerthella decreased the risk of delirium. However, the potential of gut probiotic interventions in the prevention of perioperative delirium should be emphasized.
Topics: Humans; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Causality; Delirium; Genome-Wide Association Study
PubMed: 36842654
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.078 -
Microorganisms Feb 2023The diversity and activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the camel gut remains largely unexplored. An abundant SRB community has been previously revealed in the...
The diversity and activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the camel gut remains largely unexplored. An abundant SRB community has been previously revealed in the feces of Bactrian camels (). This study aims to combine the 16S rRNA gene profiling, sulfate reduction rate (SRR) measurement with a radioactive tracer, and targeted cultivation to shed light on SRB activity in the camel gut. Fresh feces of 55 domestic Bactrian camels grazing freely on semi-arid mountain pastures in the Kosh-Agach district of the Russian Altai area were analyzed. Feces were sampled in early winter at an ambient temperature of -15 °C, which prevented possible contamination. SRR values measured with a radioactive tracer in feces were relatively high and ranged from 0.018 to 0.168 nmol S cm day. The 16S rRNA gene profiles revealed the presence of Gram-negative and spore-forming . Targeted isolation allowed us to obtain four pure culture isolates belonging to and . An active SRB community may affect the iron and copper availability in the camel intestine due to metal ions precipitation in the form of sparingly soluble sulfides. The copper-iron sulfide, chalcopyrite (CuFeS), was detected by X-ray diffraction in 36 out of 55 analyzed camel feces. In semi-arid areas, gypsum, like other evaporite sulfates, can be used as a solid-phase electron acceptor for sulfate reduction in the camel gastrointestinal tract.
PubMed: 36838366
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020401 -
MBio Apr 2023Desulfovibrio vulgaris has been a primary pure culture sulfate reducer for developing microbial corrosion concepts. Multiple mechanisms for how it accepts electrons from...
Desulfovibrio vulgaris has been a primary pure culture sulfate reducer for developing microbial corrosion concepts. Multiple mechanisms for how it accepts electrons from Fe have been proposed. We investigated Fe oxidation with a mutant of in which hydrogenase genes were deleted. The hydrogenase mutant grew as well as the parental strain with lactate as the electron donor, but unlike the parental strain, it was not able to grow on H. The parental strain reduced sulfate with Fe as the sole electron donor, but the hydrogenase mutant did not. H accumulated over time in Fe cultures of the hydrogenase mutant and sterile controls but not in parental strain cultures. Sulfide stimulated H production in uninoculated controls apparently by both reacting with Fe to generate H and facilitating electron transfer from Fe to H. Parental strain supernatants did not accelerate H production from Fe, ruling out a role for extracellular hydrogenases. Previously proposed electron transfer between Fe and via soluble electron shuttles was not evident. The hydrogenase mutant did not reduce sulfate in the presence of Fe and either riboflavin or anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate, and these potential electron shuttles did not stimulate parental strain sulfate reduction with Fe as the electron donor. The results demonstrate that primarily accepts electrons from Fe via H as an intermediary electron carrier. These findings clarify the interpretation of previous corrosion studies and suggest that H-mediated electron transfer is an important mechanism for iron corrosion under sulfate-reducing conditions. Microbial corrosion of iron in the presence of sulfate-reducing microorganisms is economically significant. There is substantial debate over how microbes accelerate iron corrosion. Tools for genetic manipulation have only been developed for a few Fe(III)-reducing and methanogenic microorganisms known to corrode iron and in each case those microbes were found to accept electrons from Fe via direct electron transfer. However, iron corrosion is often most intense in the presence of sulfate-reducing microbes. The finding that Desulfovibrio vulgaris relies on H to shuttle electrons between Fe and cells revives the concept, developed in some of the earliest studies on microbial corrosion, that sulfate reducers consumption of H is a major microbial corrosion mechanism. The results further emphasize that direct Fe-to-microbe electron transfer has yet to be rigorously demonstrated in sulfate-reducing microbes.
Topics: Iron; Desulfovibrio vulgaris; Hydrogenase; Corrosion; Oxidation-Reduction; Lactic Acid; Sulfates; Desulfovibrio
PubMed: 36786581
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00076-23 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2022As a metabolic disease, one important feature of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the disturbance of the intestinal flora. Spleen-strengthening and... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
As a metabolic disease, one important feature of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the disturbance of the intestinal flora. Spleen-strengthening and liver-draining formula (SLF) is a formula formed according to the theory of "One Qi Circulation" (Qing Dynasty, 1749) of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has shown significant therapeutic effect in patients with NAFLD in a preliminary clinical observation. In this study, we aim to explore the mechanism of SLF against NAFLD, especially its effect on glucolipid metabolism, from the perspective of intestinal flora.
METHODS
A prospective, randomized, controlled clinical study was designed to observe the efficacy and safety of SLF in the treatment of NAFLD. The study participants were randomly and evenly divided into control group and treatment group (SLF group). The control group made lifestyle adjustments, while the SLF group was treated with SLF on top of the control group. Both groups were participated in the study for 12 consecutive weeks. Furthermore, the feces of the two groups were collected before and after treatment. The intestinal flora of each group and healthy control (HC) were detected utilizing 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
RESULTS
Compared with the control group, the SLF group showed significant improvements in liver function, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM), meanwhile, patients had significantly lower lipid and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) with better security. Intestinal flora 16S rRNA gene sequencing results indicated reduced flora diversity and altered species abundance in patients with NAFLD. At the phylum level, levels were reduced. Although and did not differ significantly between HC and NAFLD, when grouped by alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels in NAFLD, levels were significantly higher in patients with ALT or AST abnormalities, while was significantly lower. Clinical correlation analysis showed that positively correlated with gender, age, ALT, AST, LSM, and Fibroscan-AST (FAST) score, while the opposite was true for . At the genus level, the levels of , , , , group , , , and were reduced, whereas abundance of increased. There was no statistically significant difference in and levels in the SLF group before and after treatment, but both bacteria tended to retrace. At the genus level, ( family), ( family), and ( family) were significantly higher in the SLF group after treatment, and there was also a tendency for ( family) to be back-regulated toward HC.
CONCLUSIONS
SLF can improve liver function and glucolipid metabolism in patients with NAFLD and lower down liver fat content to some extent. SLF could be carried out by regulating the disturbance of intestinal flora, especially , group, and genus.
Topics: Humans; Clostridiales; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Spleen; Drugs, Chinese Herbal
PubMed: 36743913
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1107071