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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406510
Research Project: Virulence Mechanisms, Microbiome Changes and Control Strategies for Priority Bacterial Infections in Swine

Location: Virus and Prion Research

Title: Shifts in the swine nasal microbiota following Bordetella bronchiseptica challenge in a longitudinal study

Author
item NIELSEN, DANIEL - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Hau, Samantha
item MOU, KATHY - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item ALT, DAVID - Retired ARS Employee
item BROCKMEIER, SUSAN - Retired ARS Employee

Submitted to: Frontiers in Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/25/2023
Publication Date: 9/29/2023
Citation: Nielsen, D.W., Hau, S.J., Mou, K.T., Alt, D.P., Brockmeier, S.L. 2023. Shifts in the swine nasal microbiota following Bordetella bronchiseptica challenge in a longitudinal study. Frontiers in Microbiology. 14. Article 1260465. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1260465.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1260465

Interpretive Summary: Bordetella bronchiseptica causes disease in pigs. However, we do not know how B. bronchiseptica (BB) infection affects other bacteria inside the nose. Here, we aimed to answer this question. To do so, we divided pigs into a non-infected group and a group infected with BB. We took samples on days 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 36, and 42 to study differences between the non-infected and BB groups. On day 7, the communities of bacteria were different, and this continued until the end of the study. Certain bacteria groups thought to be important in pig disease were more abundant in the BB group than the non-infected group. These bacteria groups included Pasteurella, Pasteurellaceae (unclassified), Mycoplasma, Actinobacillus, and Streptococcus.

Technical Abstract: Bordetella bronchiseptica is a widespread, highly infectious bacterial pathogen that causes respiratory disease in swine and increases the severity of respiratory infections caused by other viral or bacterial pathogens. However, the impact of B. bronchiseptica infection on the swine respiratory microbiota has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we aim to assess the influence of B. bronchiseptica infection on the community structure and abundance of members of the swine nasal microbiota. To do so, the nasal microbiota of a non-infected control group and a group infected with B. bronchiseptica (BB group) were characterized prior to B. bronchiseptica strain KM22 challenge (day 0) and on select days in the weeks following B. bronchiseptica challenge (days 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 36, and 42). B. bronchiseptica was cultured from nasal samples of the BB group to assess nasal colonization. The results showed that B. bronchiseptica colonization did not persistently affect the nasal bacterial diversity of either treatment group (alpha diversity). However, the bacterial community structures (beta diversity) of the two groups significantly diverged on day 7 when peak colonization levels of B. bronchiseptica were detected. This divergence continued through the last sampling time point. In addition, Pasteurella, Pasteurellaceae (unclassified), Mycoplasma, Actinobacillus, Streptococcus, Escherichia-Shigella, and Prevotellaceae (unclassified) showed increased abundances in the BB group relative to the control at various time points. This study revealed that B. bronchiseptica colonization can disturb the upper respiratory tract microbiota and further research is warranted to assess how these disturbances can impact susceptibility to secondary infections by other respiratory pathogens.