scholarly journals ­­­Microbial Community Structure and Composition is Associated with Host Species and Sex in Sigmodon Cotton Rats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britton Strickland ◽  
Mira Patel ◽  
Meghan H. Shilts ◽  
Helen H. Boone ◽  
Arash Kamali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The cotton rat (genus Sigmodon) is an essential small animal model for the study of human infectious disease and viral therapeutic development. However, the impact of the host microbiome on infection outcomes has not been explored in this model, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive characterization of microbial communities across different cotton rat species. Understanding the dynamics of their microbiome could significantly help to better understand its role during when modeling viral infections in this small animal model.Results: We examined the bacterial communities of the gut and three external sites (skin, ear, and nose) of two inbred species of cotton rats commonly used in research (S. hispidus and S. fulviventer) by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, constituting the first comprehensive catalog of the cotton rat microbiome. We showed that S. fulviventer maintained higher alpha diversity and richness than S. hispidus at external sites (skin, ear, nose), but there were no differentially abundant genera. However, S. fulviventer and S. hispidus had distinct fecal microbiomes composed of several significantly differentially abundant genera. Whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples identified species-level differences between S. hispidus and S. fulviventer, as well as different metabolic pathway functions as a result of differential host microbiome contributions. Furthermore, the microbiome composition of the external sites showed significant sex-based differences while fecal communities were not largely different. Conclusions: Our study shows that host genetic background potentially exerts homeostatic pressures, resulting in distinct microbiomes for two different inbred cotton rat species. Because of the numerous studies that have uncovered strong relationships between host microbiome, viral infection outcomes, and immune responses, our findings represent a strong contribution for understanding the impact of different microbial communities on viral pathogenesis. Furthermore, we provide novel cotton rat microbiome data as a springboard to uncover the full therapeutic potential of the microbiome against viral infections.

scholarly journals Microbial Community Structure and Composition is Associated With Host Species and Sex in Sigmodon Cotton Rats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britton Strickland ◽  
Mira Patel ◽  
Meghan H. Shilts ◽  
Helen H. Boone ◽  
Arash Kamali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: The cotton rat (genus Sigmodon) is an essential small animal model for the study of human infectious disease and viral therapeutic development. However, the impact of the host microbiome on infection outcomes has not been explored in this model, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive characterization of microbial communities across different cotton rat species. Understanding the dynamics of their microbiome could significantly help to better understand its role during when modeling viral infections in this small animal model.Results: We examined the bacterial communities of the gut and three external sites (skin, ear, and nose) of two inbred species of cotton rats commonly used in research (S. hispidus and S. fulviventer) by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, constituting the first comprehensive catalog of the cotton rat microbiome. We showed that S. fulviventer maintained higher alpha diversity and richness than S. hispidus at external sites (skin, ear, nose), but there were no differentially abundant genera. However, S. fulviventer and S. hispidus had distinct fecal microbiomes composed of several significantly differentially abundant genera. Whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples identified species-level differences between S. hispidus and S. fulviventer, as well as different metabolic pathway functions as a result of differential host microbiome contributions. Furthermore, the microbiome composition of the external sites showed significant sex-based differences while fecal communities were not largely different. Conclusions: Our study shows that host genetic background potentially exerts homeostatic pressures, resulting in distinct microbiomes for two different inbred cotton rat species. Because of the numerous studies that have uncovered strong relationships between host microbiome, viral infection outcomes, and immune responses, our findings represent a strong contribution for understanding the impact of different microbial communities on viral pathogenesis. Furthermore, we provide novel cotton rat microbiome data as a springboard to uncover the full therapeutic potential of the microbiome against viral infections.

scholarly journals Microbial community structure and composition is associated with host species and sex in Sigmodon cotton rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Britton A. Strickland ◽  
Mira C. Patel ◽  
Meghan H. Shilts ◽  
Helen H. Boone ◽  
Arash Kamali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Cotton Rats ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Comprehensive Characterization

Abstract Background The cotton rat (genus Sigmodon) is an essential small animal model for the study of human infectious disease and viral therapeutic development. However, the impact of the host microbiome on infection outcomes has not been explored in this model, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive characterization of microbial communities across different cotton rat species. Understanding the dynamics of their microbiome could significantly help to better understand its role when modeling viral infections in this animal model. Results We examined the bacterial communities of the gut and three external sites (skin, ear, and nose) of two inbred species of cotton rats commonly used in research (S. hispidus and S. fulviventer) by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, constituting the first comprehensive characterization of the cotton rat microbiome. We showed that S. fulviventer maintained higher alpha diversity and richness than S. hispidus at external sites (skin, ear, nose), but there were no differentially abundant genera. However, S. fulviventer and S. hispidus had distinct fecal microbiomes composed of several significantly differentially abundant genera. Whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing of fecal samples identified species-level differences between S. hispidus and S. fulviventer, as well as different metabolic pathway functions as a result of differential host microbiome contributions. Furthermore, the microbiome composition of the external sites showed significant sex-based differences while fecal communities were not largely different. Conclusions Our study shows that host genetic background potentially exerts homeostatic pressures, resulting in distinct microbiomes for two different inbred cotton rat species. Because of the numerous studies that have uncovered strong relationships between host microbiome, viral infection outcomes, and immune responses, our findings represent a strong contribution for understanding the impact of different microbial communities on viral pathogenesis. Furthermore, we provide novel cotton rat microbiome data as a springboard to uncover the full therapeutic potential of the microbiome against viral infections.

scholarly journals The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidus) Is a Permissive Small Animal Model of Human Metapneumovirus Infection, Pathogenesis, and Protective Immunity

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (17) ◽  
pp. 10944-10951 ◽  
Author(s):  
John V. Williams ◽  
Sharon J. Tollefson ◽  
Joyce E. Johnson ◽  
James E. Crowe
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Guinea Pigs ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Human Metapneumovirus ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Cotton Rat ◽  
Nasal Tissue ◽  
Hmpv Infection ◽  
Cotton Rats

ABSTRACT Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a newly described paramyxovirus that is an important cause of acute respiratory tract disease. We undertook to develop a small animal model of hMPV infection, pathogenesis, and protection. Hamsters, guinea pigs, cotton rats, and nine inbred strains of mice were inoculated intranasally with hMPV. The animals were sacrificed, and nasal and lung tissue virus yields were determined by plaque titration. None of the animals exhibited respiratory symptoms. The quantity of virus present in the nasal tissue ranged from 4.6 × 102 PFU/gram tissue (C3H mice) to greater than 105 PFU/gram (hamster). The amount of virus in the lungs was considerably less than in nasal tissue in each species tested, ranging from undetectable (<5 PFU/g; guinea pigs) to 1.8 × 105 PFU/gram (cotton rat). The peak virus titer in cotton rat lungs occurred on day 4 postinfection. hMPV-infected cotton rat lungs examined on day 4 postinfection exhibited histopathological changes consisting of peribronchial inflammatory infiltrates. Immunohistochemical staining detected virus only at the luminal surfaces of respiratory epithelial cells throughout the respiratory tract. hMPV-infected cotton rats mounted virus-neutralizing antibody responses and were partially protected against virus shedding and lung pathology on subsequent rechallenge with hMPV. Viral antigen was undetectable in the lungs on challenge of previously infected animals. This study demonstrates that the cotton rat is a permissive small animal model of hMPV infection that exhibits lung histopathology associated with infection and that primary infection protected animals against subsequent infection. This model will allow further in vivo studies of hMPV pathogenesis and evaluation of vaccine candidates.

scholarly journals The cotton rat provides a useful small-animal model for the study of influenza virus pathogenesis

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
pp. 2823-2830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin G. Ottolini ◽  
Jorge C. G. Blanco ◽  
Maryna C. Eichelberger ◽  
David D. Porter ◽  
Lioubov Pletneva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Virus Replication ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Cell Damage ◽  
Interleukin 1 ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Cotton Rats

Influenza A virus continues to cause annual epidemics. The emergence of avian viruses in the human population poses a pandemic threat, and has highlighted the need for more effective influenza vaccines and antivirals. Development of such therapeutics would be enhanced by the use of a small-animal model that is permissive for replication of human influenza virus, and for which reagents are available to dissect the host response. A model is presented of nasal and pulmonary infection in adult inbred cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) that does not require viral ‘adaptation’. It was previously demonstrated that animals infected intranasally with 107 TCID50 of a recent H3N2 influenza, A/Wuhan/359/95, have increased breathing rates. In this report it is shown that this is accompanied by weight loss and decreased temperature. Virus replication peaked within 24 h in the lung, with peak titres proportional to the infecting dose, clearing by day 3. Replication was more permissive in nasal tissues, and persisted for 6 days. Pulmonary pathology included early bronchiolar epithelial cell damage, followed by extensive alveolar and interstitial pneumonia, which persisted for nearly 3 weeks. Interleukin 1 alpha (IL1α), alpha interferon (IFN-α), IL6, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), GROα and MIP-1β mRNA were elevated soon after infection, and expression coincided with virus replication. A biphasic response was observed for RANTES, IFN-γ, IL4, IL10 and IL12-p40, with increased mRNA levels early during virus replication followed by a later increase that coincided with pulmonary inflammation. These results indicate that cotton rats will be useful for further studies of influenza pathogenesis and immunity.

scholarly journals Rat model of smoke inhalation-induced acute lung injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000879
Author(s):  
Premila Devi Leiphrakpam ◽  
Hannah R Weber ◽  
Tobi Ogun ◽  
Keely L Buesing
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Acute Lung Injury ◽  
Lung Injury ◽  
Caspase 3 ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Therapeutic Options ◽  
Smoke Inhalation ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Injury Score ◽  
Confounding Variables

BackgroundAcute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a lethal disease with limited therapeutic options and an unacceptably high mortality rate. Understanding the complex pathophysiological processes involved in the development of ALI/ARDS is critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies. Smoke inhalation (SI) injury is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with burn-associated ALI/ARDS; however, to our knowledge few reliable, reproducible models are available for pure SI animal model to investigate therapeutic options for ALI/ARDS without the confounding variables introduced by cutaneous burn or other pathology.ObjectiveTo develop a small animal model of pure SI-induced ALI and to use this model for eventual testing of novel therapeutics for ALI.MethodsRats were exposed to smoke using a custom-made smoke generator. Peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), heart rate, arterial blood gas, and chest X-ray (CXR) were measured before and after SI. Wet/dry weight (W/D) ratio, lung injury score and immunohistochemical staining of cleaved caspase 3 were performed on harvested lung tissues of healthy and SI animals.ResultsThe current study demonstrates the induction of ALI in rats after SI as reflected by a significant, sustained decrease in SpO2 and the development of diffuse bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on CXR. Lung tissue of animals exposed to SI showed increased inflammation, oedema and apoptosis as reflected by the increase in W/D ratio, injury score and cleaved caspase 3 level of the harvested tissues compared with healthy animals.ConclusionWe have successfully developed a small animal model of pure SI-induced ALI. This model is offered to the scientific community as a reliable model of isolated pulmonary SI-induced injury without the confounding variables of cutaneous injury or other systemic pathology to be used for study of novel therapeutics or other investigation.

scholarly journals Microbial drivers of methane emissions from unrestored industrial salt ponds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinglie Zhou ◽  
Susanna M. Theroux ◽  
Clifton P. Bueno de Mesquita ◽  
Wyatt H. Hartman ◽  
Ye Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Methane Flux ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Metagenomic Data ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Salt Ponds ◽  
Salt Pond ◽  
Reference Wetlands ◽  
Reference Wetland ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWetlands are important carbon (C) sinks, yet many have been destroyed and converted to other uses over the past few centuries, including industrial salt making. A renewed focus on wetland ecosystem services (e.g., flood control, and habitat) has resulted in numerous restoration efforts whose effect on microbial communities is largely unexplored. We investigated the impact of restoration on microbial community composition, metabolic functional potential, and methane flux by analyzing sediment cores from two unrestored former industrial salt ponds, a restored former industrial salt pond, and a reference wetland. We observed elevated methane emissions from unrestored salt ponds compared to the restored and reference wetlands, which was positively correlated with salinity and sulfate across all samples. 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic data revealed that the restored salt pond harbored communities more phylogenetically and functionally similar to the reference wetland than to unrestored ponds. Archaeal methanogenesis genes were positively correlated with methane flux, as were genes encoding enzymes for bacterial methylphosphonate degradation, suggesting methane is generated both from bacterial methylphosphonate degradation and archaeal methanogenesis in these sites. These observations demonstrate that restoration effectively converted industrial salt pond microbial communities back to compositions more similar to reference wetlands and lowered salinities, sulfate concentrations, and methane emissions.

scholarly journals Rat-to-Chinese tree shrew heart transplantation is a novel small animal model to study non-Gal-mediated discordant xenograft humoral rejection

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 468-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
WeiLi Chen ◽  
Yuan Wu ◽  
Akira Shimizu ◽  
YinLong Lian ◽  
Masayuki Tasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Model ◽  
Heart Transplantation ◽  
Tree Shrew ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Humoral Rejection ◽  
Small Animal Model

scholarly journals Longitudinal Raman Spectroscopic Observation of Skin Biochemical Changes due to Chemotherapeutic Treatment for Breast Cancer in Small Animal Model

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Myeongsu Seong ◽  
NoSoung Myoung ◽  
Songhyun Lee ◽  
Hyeryun Jeong ◽  
Sang-Youp Yim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Animal Model ◽  
Raman Spectra ◽  
Fiber Optic ◽  
Animal Experiments ◽  
Small Animal ◽  
Fiber Optic Probe ◽  
Small Animal Model ◽  
Biochemical Compositions ◽  
Optic Probe

The cancer field effect (CFE) has been highlighted as one of indirect indications for tissue variations that are insensitive to conventional diagnostic techniques. In this research, we had a hypothesis that chemotherapy for breast cancer would affect skin biochemical compositions that would be reflected by Raman spectral changes. We used a fiber-optic probe-based Raman spectroscopy to perform preliminary animal experiments to validate the hypothesis. Firstly, we verified the probing depth of the fiber-optic probe (~800 μm) using a simple intravenous fat emulsion-filled phantom having a silicon wafer at the bottom inside a cuvette. Then, we obtained Raman spectra during breast cancer treatment by chemotherapy from a small animal model in longitudinal manner. Our results showed that the treatment causes variations of biochemical compositions in the skin. For further validation, the Raman spectra will have to be collected from more populations and spectra will need to be compared with immunohistochemistry of the breast tissue.

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