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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #282136
Title: Whole genome shotgun metagenomic sequences from the proximal colon microbiota in response to helminth parasites

Author
item Li, Robert
item WU, S - Collaborator
item LI, W - Collaborator
item Hill, Dustin
item Urban, Joseph

Submitted to: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/17/2012
Publication Date: 6/27/2012
Citation: Li, R.W., Wu, S., Li, W., Hill, D.C., Urban Jr, J.F. 2012. Whole genome shotgun metagenomic sequences from the proximal colon microbiota in response to helminth parasites . National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). SRX065855.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Helminth parasites ensure their survival by regulating host immunity through mechanisms that dampen inflammation. These properties have recently been exploited therapeutically to treat human diseases. The biocomplexity of the intestinal lumen suggests that interactions between the parasite and the intestinal microbiota would also influence inflammation. In this study, we characterized the microbiota in the porcine proximal colon in response to Trichuris suis (whipworm) infection using 16S rRNA gene-based and whole-genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing. A 21-day T. suis infection in four pigs induced a significant change in the composition of the proximal colon microbiota compared to that of three parasite-naive pigs. Among the 15 phyla identified, the abundances of Proteobacteria and Deferribacteres were changed in infected pigs. The abundances of approximately 13% of genera were significantly altered by infection. Changes in relative abundances of Succinivibrio and Mucispirillum, for example, may relate to alterations in carbohydrate metabolism and niche disruptions in mucosal interfaces induced by parasitic infection, respectively. Of note, infection by T. suis led to a significant shift in the metabolic potential of the proximal colon microbiota, where 26% of all metabolic pathways identified were affected. Besides carbohydrate metabolism, lysine biosynthesis was repressed as well. A metabolomic analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the luminal contents showed a relative absence in infected pigs of cofactors for carbohydrate and lysine biosynthesis, as well as an accumulation of oleic acid, suggesting altered fatty acid absorption contributing to local inflammation. Our findings should facilitate development of strategies for parasitic control in pigs and humans.