scholarly journals Molecular assessment of the fecal microbiota in healthy cats and dogs before and during supplementation with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin using high-throughput 454-pyrosequencing

Author(s):  
Jose F Garcia-Mazcorro ◽  
Jose R Barcenas-Walls ◽  
Jan S Suchodolski ◽  
Jörg M Steiner

Prebiotics are selectively fermentable dietary compounds that result in changes in the composition and/or activity of the intestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefits upon host health. In veterinary medicine, commercially available products containing prebiotics have not been well studied with regard to the changes they trigger on the composition of the gut microbiota. This study evaluated the effect of a commercially available nutraceutical containing fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin on the fecal microbiota of healthy cats and dogs when administered for 16 days. Fecal samples were collected at two time points before and at two time points during prebiotic administration. Total genomic DNA was obtained from fecal samples and 454-pyrosequencing was used for 16S rRNA gene bacterial profiling. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) method was used for detecting bacterial taxa that may respond (i.e., increase or decrease in its relative abundance) to prebiotic administration. Prebiotic administration was associated with a good acceptance and no side effects (e.g. diarrhea) were reported by the owners. A low dose of prebiotics (50 mL total regardless of body weight with the end product containing 0.45% of prebiotics) revealed a lower abundance of Gammaproteobacteria and a higher abundance of Veillonellaceae during prebiotic administration in cats, while Staphylococcaceae showed a higher abundance during prebiotic administration in dogs. These differences were not sufficient to separate bacterial communities as shown by analysis of weighted UniFrac distance metrics. A predictive approach of the fecal bacterial metagenome using PICRUSt also did not reveal differences between the period before and during prebiotic administration. A second trial using a higher dose of prebiotics (3.2 mL/kg body weight with the end product containing 3.1% of prebiotics) was tested in dogs and revealed a lower abundance of Dorea (family Clostridiaceae) and a higher abundance of Megamonas and other (unknown) members of Veillonellaceae during prebiotic administration. Again, these changes were not sufficient to separate bacterial communities or predicted metabolic profiles according to treatment. A closer analysis of bacterial communities at all time-points revealed highly individualized patterns of variation. This study shows a high interindividual variation of fecal bacterial communities from pet cats and dogs, that these communities are relatively stable over time, and that some of this variation can be attributable to prebiotic administration, a phenomenon that may be affected by the amount of the prebiotic administered in the formulation. This study also provides insights into the response of gut bacterial communities in pet cats and dogs during administration of commercially available products containing prebiotics. More studies are needed to explore potentially beneficial effects on host health beyond changes in bacterial communities.

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose F. Garcia-Mazcorro ◽  
Jose R. Barcenas-Walls ◽  
Jan S. Suchodolski ◽  
Jörg M. Steiner

Prebiotics are selectively fermentable dietary compounds that result in changes in the composition and/or activity of the intestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefits upon host health. In veterinary medicine, commercially available products containing prebiotics have not been well studied with regard to the changes they trigger on the composition of the gut microbiota. This study evaluated the effect of a commercially available nutraceutical containing fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin on the fecal microbiota of healthy cats and dogs when administered for 16 days. Fecal samples were collected at two time points before and at two time points during prebiotic administration. Total genomic DNA was obtained from fecal samples and 454-pyrosequencing was used for 16S rRNA gene bacterial profiling. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) method was used for detecting bacterial taxa that may respond (i.e., increase or decrease in its relative abundance) to prebiotic administration. Prebiotic administration was associated with a good acceptance and no side effects (e.g., diarrhea) were reported by the owners. A low dose of prebiotics (50 mL total regardless of body weight with the end product containing 0.45% of prebiotics) revealed a lower abundance of Gammaproteobacteria and a higher abundance of Veillonellaceae during prebiotic administration in cats, while Staphylococcaceae showed a higher abundance during prebiotic administration in dogs. These differences were not sufficient to separate bacterial communities as shown by analysis of weighted UniFrac distance metrics. A predictive approach of the fecal bacterial metagenome using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) also did not reveal differences between the period before and during prebiotic administration. A second trial using a higher dose of prebiotics (3.2 mL/kg body weight with the end product containing 3.1% of prebiotics) was tested in dogs and revealed a lower abundance ofDorea(family Clostridiaceae) and a higher abundance ofMegamonasand other (unknown) members of Veillonellaceae during prebiotic administration. Again, these changes were not sufficient to separate bacterial communities or predicted metabolic profiles according to treatment. A closer analysis of bacterial communities at all time-points revealed highly individualized patterns of variation. This study shows a high interindividual variation of fecal bacterial communities from pet cats and dogs, that these communities are relatively stable over time, and that some of this variation can be attributable to prebiotic administration, a phenomenon that may be affected by the amount of the prebiotic administered in the formulation. This study also provides insights into the response of gut bacterial communities in pet cats and dogs during administration of commercially available products containing prebiotics. More studies are needed to explore potentially beneficial effects on host health beyond changes in bacterial communities.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose F Garcia-Mazcorro ◽  
Jose R Barcenas-Walls ◽  
Jan S Suchodolski ◽  
Jörg M Steiner

Prebiotics are selectively fermentable dietary compounds that result in changes in the composition and/or activity of the intestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefits upon host health. In veterinary medicine, commercially available products containing prebiotics have not been well studied with regard to the changes they trigger on the composition of the gut microbiota. This study evaluated the effect of a commercially available nutraceutical containing fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin on the fecal microbiota of healthy cats and dogs when administered for 16 days. Fecal samples were collected at two time points before and at two time points during prebiotic administration. Total genomic DNA was obtained from fecal samples and 454-pyrosequencing was used for 16S rRNA gene bacterial profiling. The linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) method was used for detecting bacterial taxa that may respond (i.e., increase or decrease in its relative abundance) to prebiotic administration. Prebiotic administration was associated with a good acceptance and no side effects (e.g. diarrhea) were reported by the owners. A low dose of prebiotics (50 mL total regardless of body weight with the end product containing 0.45% of prebiotics) revealed a lower abundance of Gammaproteobacteria and a higher abundance of Veillonellaceae during prebiotic administration in cats, while Staphylococcaceae showed a higher abundance during prebiotic administration in dogs. These differences were not sufficient to separate bacterial communities as shown by analysis of weighted UniFrac distance metrics. A predictive approach of the fecal bacterial metagenome using PICRUSt also did not reveal differences between the period before and during prebiotic administration. A second trial using a higher dose of prebiotics (3.2 mL/kg body weight with the end product containing 3.1% of prebiotics) was tested in dogs and revealed a lower abundance of Dorea (family Clostridiaceae) and a higher abundance of Megamonas and other (unknown) members of Veillonellaceae during prebiotic administration. Again, these changes were not sufficient to separate bacterial communities or predicted metabolic profiles according to treatment. A closer analysis of bacterial communities at all time-points revealed highly individualized patterns of variation. This study shows a high interindividual variation of fecal bacterial communities from pet cats and dogs, that these communities are relatively stable over time, and that some of this variation can be attributable to prebiotic administration, a phenomenon that may be affected by the amount of the prebiotic administered in the formulation. This study also provides insights into the response of gut bacterial communities in pet cats and dogs during administration of commercially available products containing prebiotics. More studies are needed to explore potentially beneficial effects on host health beyond changes in bacterial communities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
W. Wang ◽  
C. Mu ◽  
N.A. Cho ◽  
E.W. Noye Tuplin ◽  
D.E. Lowry ◽  
...  

Abstract Early life nutrition fundamentally influences neonatal development and health. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are key components of breast milk, but not standard infant formula that support establishment of the newborn gut microbiota. Using an artificial rearing system, our objective was to test the effect of two HMOs on whole body and organ growth, adiposity, glucose tolerance, and fecal microbiota in young rat pups. From postnatal day 4 to 21, Sprague Dawley rats were randomized to receive one of: 1) CTR (rat milk substitute); 2) 2’FL (CTR +1.2 g/L 2’-fucosyllactose); 3) 3’SL (CTR+1.2 g/L 3’-sialyllactose); 4) 2’FL+3’SL (CTR+0.6 g/L 2’-FL+0.6 g/L 3’-SL). Body weight, bowel movements and food intake were monitored daily, fecal samples collected each week, and oral glucose tolerance, body composition, and organ weight measured at weaning. No significant differences were observed between groups in growth performance, body composition, organ weight and abundance of dominant fecal microbes. A decreased relative abundance of genus Proteus in week1 fecal samples and Terrisporobacter in week3 fecal samples (P<0.05) was suggestive of a potential pathogen inhibitory effect of 3’SL. Longitudinal changes in the fecal microbiota of artificially reared suckling rats were primarily governed by age (P =0.001) and not affected by the presence of 2’-FL and/or 3’-SL in rat milk substitutes (P =0.479). Considering the known protective effects of HMOs, further investigation of supplementation with these and other HMOs in models of premature birth, extremely low body weight, or malnutrition may show more pronounced outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Öhman ◽  
Anders Lasson ◽  
Anna Strömbeck ◽  
Stefan Isaksson ◽  
Marcus Hesselmar ◽  
...  

AbstractPatients with ulcerative colitis (UC) have an altered gut microbiota composition, but the microbial relationship to disease activity needs to be further elucidated. Therefore, temporal dynamics of the fecal microbial community during remission and flare was determined. Fecal samples were collected at 2–6 time-points from UC patients during established disease (cohort EST) and at diagnosis (cohort NEW). Sampling range for cohort EST was 3–10 months and for cohort NEW 36 months. Relapses were monitored for an additional three years for cohort EST. Microbial composition was assessed by Genetic Analysis GA-map Dysbiosis Test, targeting ≥ 300 bacteria. Eighteen patients in cohort EST (8 with maintained remission and 10 experiencing a flare), provided 71 fecal samples. In cohort NEW, 13 patients provided 49 fecal samples. The microbial composition showed no clustering related to disease activity in any cohort. Microbial dissimilarity was higher between than within patients for both cohorts, irrespective of presence of a flare. Microbial stability within patients was constant over time with no major shift in overall composition nor modification in the abundance of any specific species. Microbial composition was not affected by intensified medical treatment or linked to future disease course. Thus in UC, the gut microbiota is highly stable irrespective of disease stage, disease activity or treatment escalation. This suggests that prolonged dietary interventions or repeated fecal transplantations are needed to be able to induce permanent alterations of the gut microbiota.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 30-31
Author(s):  
Brooke N Smith ◽  
Stephen A Fleming ◽  
Mei Wang ◽  
Ryan N Dilger

Abstract Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an economically-important disease and ingestion of soy isoflavones (ISF) may benefit PRRSV-infected pigs due to demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. The objective of this study was to quantify long-term effects of ISF consumption on fecal microbiome characteristics under disease challenge. In total, 96 weaned barrows were group-housed in a BSL-2 containment facility and allotted to 1 of 3 experimental treatments that were maintained throughout the wean-to-finish study: non-infected pigs receiving an ISF-devoid control diet (NC, n=24), and infected pigs receiving either the control diet (PC, n=36) or that supplemented with total ISF in excess of 1,600 mg/kg (ISF, n=36) (Table 1). Following a 7-day adaptation, pigs were inoculated intranasally with either a sham-control (PBS) or live PRRSV (1×105 TCID50/mL, strain NADC20). Fecal samples were collected from 48 individual pigs at pre-infection (-2 days post-inoculation, DPI), peak-infection (10 DPI), and post-infection (144 DPI) time-points and extracted DNA was used for 16S bacterial rRNA sequencing. Differences in bacterial communities among diet groups were evaluated using UniFrac distance matrices (weighted and unweighted) in QIIME. All other data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA performed on transformed data using R. Across all time-points, only minimal differences were observed due to ISF alone. At 10 DPI, PRRSV infection reduced Prevotella 9 genera abundance from approximately 20% to less than 10%, but the specific function of this variety in pigs is unclear. The most notable finding was decreased relative abundance of Actinobacteria at 144 DPI between non-infected and infected treatments (P &lt; 0.05), which is consistent with various dysbioses observed in other disease models. Our findings indicate that differences present were mainly due to PRRSV infection and not strongly influenced by ISF ingestion, which implies previously observed performance benefits conferred by dietary ISF are not likely due to changes in microbiome composition.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
Poonnawat Panjad ◽  
Rujipas Yongsawas ◽  
Chainarong Sinpoo ◽  
Chonthicha Pakwan ◽  
Phakamas Subta ◽  
...  

Honeybees, Apis mellifera, are important pollinators of many economically important crops. However, one of the reasons for their decline is pathogenic infection. Nosema disease and American foulbrood (AFB) disease are the most common bee pathogens that propagate in the gut of honeybees. This study investigated the impact of gut-propagating pathogens, including Nosema ceranae and Paenibacillus larvae, on bacterial communities in the gut of A. mellifera using 454-pyrosequencing. Pyrosequencing results showed that N. ceranae was implicated in the elimination of Serratia and the dramatic increase in Snodgrassella and Bartonella in adult bees’ guts, while bacterial communities of P. larvae-infected larvae were not affected by the infection. The results indicated that only N. ceranae had an impact on some core bacteria in the gut of A. mellifera through increasing core gut bacteria, therefore leading to the induction of dysbiosis in the bees’ gut.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Taemook Park ◽  
Heetae Cheong ◽  
Jungho Yoon ◽  
Ahram Kim ◽  
Youngmin Yun ◽  
...  

(1) Background: The intestinal microbiota plays an essential role in maintaining the host’s health. Dysbiosis of the equine hindgut microbiota can alter the fermentation patterns and cause metabolic disorders. (2) Methods: This study compared the fecal microbiota composition of horses with intestinal disease and their healthy counterparts living in Korea using 16S rRNA sequencing from fecal samples. A total of 52 fecal samples were collected and divided into three groups: horses with large intestinal disease (n = 20), horses with small intestinal disease (n = 8), and healthy horses (n = 24). (3) Results: Horses with intestinal diseases had fewer species and a less diverse bacterial population than healthy horses. Lactic acid bacteria, Lachnospiraceae, and Lactobacillaceae were overgrown in horses with large intestinal colic. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B), which is a relevant marker of gut dysbiosis, was 1.94, 2.37, and 1.74 for horses with large intestinal colic, small intestinal colic, and healthy horses, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The overgrowth of two lactic acid bacteria families, Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillaceae, led to a decrease in hindgut pH that interfered with normal fermentation, which might cause large intestinal colic. The overgrowth of Streptococcus also led to a decrease in pH in the hindgut, which suppressed the proliferation of the methanogen and reduced methanogenesis in horses with small intestinal colic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Kumar ◽  
M. Ajmal Khan ◽  
Emma Beijer ◽  
Jinxin Liu ◽  
Katherine K. Lowe ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The nutrition of calves from birth until weaning is predominantly from liquid (milk or milk-based) feeds. Liquid feed allowances are often restricted during artificial rearing to accelerate the development of the rumen by promoting solid feed intake. Liquid feeds bypass the rumen and are digested in the lower digestive tract, however, the influence of different types of milk feeds, and their allowances, on the calf hindgut microbiota is not well understood. In this study, faecal samples from 199 calves raised on three different allowances of milk replacer: 10% of initial bodyweight (LA), 20% of initial bodyweight (HA), and ad libitum (ADLIB), were collected just prior to weaning. Bacterial community structures and fermentation products were analysed, and their relationships with calf growth and health parameters were examined to identify potential interactions between diet, gut microbiota and calf performance. Results Differences in the total concentrations of short-chain fatty acids were not observed, but higher milk replacer allowances increased the concentrations of branched short-chain fatty acids and decreased acetate to propionate ratios. The bacterial communities were dominated by Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae and Bacteroides, and the bacterial diversity of the ADLIB diet group was greater than that of the other diet groups. Faecalibacterium was over three times more abundant in the ADLIB compared to the LA group, and its abundance correlated strongly with girth and body weight gains. Milk replacer intake correlated strongly with Peptococcus and Blautia, which also correlated with body weight gain. Bifidobacterium averaged less than 1% abundance, however its levels, and those of Clostridium sensu stricto 1, correlated strongly with initial serum protein levels, which are an indicator of colostrum intake and passive transfer of immunoglobulins in early life. Conclusions Higher milk replacer intakes in calves increased hindgut bacterial diversity and resulted in bacterial communities and short chain fatty acid profiles associated with greater protein fermentation. Increased abundances of beneficial bacteria such as Faecalibacterium, were also observed, which may contribute to development and growth. Moreover, correlations between microbial taxa and initial serum protein levels suggest that colostrum intake in the first days of life may influence microbiota composition at pre-weaning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 030006052093128
Author(s):  
Qiuwei Li ◽  
Liying Guo ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Jing Miao ◽  
Huantian Cui ◽  
...  

Objective To identify potentially effective bacterial components of gold juice, a traditional Chinese medicine treatment used for fecal microbiota transplantation. Methods Fecal samples were collected from five healthy children (two boys and three girls; mean age, 7.52 ± 2.31 years). The children had no history of antibiotic use or intestinal microecological preparation in the preceding 3 months. Fresh fecal samples were collected from children to prepare gold juice in mid-to-late November, in accordance with traditional Chinese medicine methods, then used within 7 days. Finally, 16S rDNA sequence analysis was used to identify potentially effective bacterial components of gold juice. QIIME software was used for comparisons of microbial species among gold juice, diluent, filtrate, and loess samples. Results Microflora of gold juice exhibited considerable changes following “ancient method” processing. Microbial components significantly differed between gold juice and filtrate samples. The gold juice analyzed in our study consisted of microbes that synthesize carbohydrates and amino acids by degrading substances, whereas the filtrate contained probiotic flora, Bacteroides, and Prevotella 9. Conclusions This study of microbial components in gold juice and filtrate provided evidence regarding effective bacterial components in gold juice, which may aid in clinical decisions concerning fecal microbiota transplantation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 258-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo A. Romero-Pérez ◽  
Kim H. Ominski ◽  
Tim A. McAllister ◽  
Denis O. Krause

ABSTRACTFeces from cattle production are considered important sources of bacterial contamination of food and the environment. Little is known about the combined effects of arctic temperatures and fodder tannins on rumen and hindgut bacterial populations. Individual rumen liquor and rectal fecal samples from donor steers fed either alfalfa silage or sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifoliaScop.) silage and waterad libitumwere collected weekly on the first three sampling days and fortnightly afterwards. The daily ambient temperatures were registered and averaged to weekly mean temperatures. Steers fed sainfoin silage had lower (P< 0.05) concentrations of branched-chain volatile fatty acids (VFA) than those fed alfalfa silage. All VFA concentrations were higher (P< 0.001) in rumen liquor samples than in fecal samples. The interaction of sample type and diet showed a significant effect (P< 0.05) on the proportions of the bacterial community that were from the phylaProteobacteriaandVerrucomicrobia.Ambient temperature had an indirect effect (P< 0.05) on the phylumFirmicutes, as it affected its proportional balance. The bacterial population diversity in samples appeared to decrease concurrently with the ambient temperature. The phylumFirmicutesexplained the first principal component at 64.83 and 42.58% of the total variance in rumen liquor and fecal samples, respectively. The sample type had a larger effect on bacterial communities than diet and temperature. Certain bacterial populations seemed to be better adapted than others to environmentally adverse conditions, such as less access time to nutrients due to higher motility and rate of passage of digesta caused by extreme temperatures, or antimicrobials such as tannins, possibly due to an influence of their biogeographical location within the gut.


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