scholarly journals Comparative Semen Microbiota Composition of a Stallion in a Taylorella equigenitalis Carrier and Non-Carrier State

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 868
Author(s):  
Carlota Quiñones-Pérez ◽  
Amparo Martínez ◽  
Francisco Crespo ◽  
José Luis Vega-Pla

Contagious equine metritis is receiving renewed attention due to the continuous detection of carriers in apparent agent-free farms. Interactions of Taylorella with the seminal microflora may be the plausible cause behind these spontaneous changes of the carrier state. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to compare the differences in the seminal microbiome composition of one stallion in the contagious equine metritis carrier state and non-carrier state. Samples were cryopreserved after their extraction. Cell disruption was performed by high-speed homogenization in grinding media. Bacterial families were identified via V3 amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and Ion Torrent sequencing. Only bacterial families with relative abundance above 5% were taken into consideration. The positive sample contained a strong dominance of Corynebacteriaceae (37.75%) and Peptoniphilaceae (28.56%). In the negative sample, the Porphyromonadaceae (20.51%), Bacteroidaceae (19.25%) and Peptoniphilaceae (18.57%) families prevailed. In conclusion, the microbiome seminal composition varies when an individual carries Taylorella from when it is free of it. The wider differences were found in the Corynebacteriaceae, Porphyromonadaceae and Bacteroidaceae families. Due to the limitations of a single-case analysis, further studies are needed for a better understanding of the stallion seminal microflora interactions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
César Ruiz ◽  
Marcela Villegas-Plazas ◽  
Olivier P Thomas ◽  
Howard Junca ◽  
Thierry Pérez

ABSTRACT The recent description of the polychromatic sponge Plakina kanaky revealed original microsymbionts, with some morphotypes recorded for the first time in Homoscleromorpha and others never before observed in other sponge groups. Illumina 16S amplicon sequencing was used to characterize this microbial community by comparing contents of seven specimens of this Plakinidae with five other sponge species: one Homoscleromopha of the Oscarellidae family and four Demospongiae. A total of 256 458 sequences of the hypervariable V5-V6 region of the 16S rRNA gene were clustered into 2,829 OTUs at 97% similarity, with Proteobacteria, Poribacteria and Chloroflexi being the most abundant phyla. The Plakina kanaky specific community appeared to be mainly composed by five OTUs representing about 10% of the total microbiome. Among these, the filamentous bacterium Candidatus Entotheonella, which was among the dominant morphotypes previously observed in the mesohyl and the larvae of P. kanaky, was detected in all studied specimens. However, other original and dominant morphotypes could not be assigned to a known prokaryotic taxon. This cave dwelling sponge species harbors a distinctive microbiome composition of potential taxonomic and metabolic novelties that may be linked to its ecological success in such extreme environments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 416-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica M. Ringel-Scaia ◽  
Yufeng Qin ◽  
Cassidy A. Thomas ◽  
Kathleen E. Huie ◽  
Dylan K. McDaniel ◽  
...  

The NLRP1 inflammasome attenuates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) progression and colitis-associated tumorigenesis. A possible mechanism postulates that the lack of the NLRP1 inflammasome creates permissive niches in the gut for pathogenic bacteria to flourish, causing dysbiosis and increased IBD susceptibility. To evaluate this hypothesis, we characterized the gut microbiome of wild-type, Nlrp1b–/–, and Asc–/– mice under naïve conditions by sequencing the V3 region of the 16s rRNA gene. For both genetically modified mouse lines, the microbiome composition reflected overrepresentation of bacteria associated with dysbiosis relative to wild-type animals. Measurement of short- and medium-chain fatty acids by mass spectrometry further revealed significant differences between genotypes. However, prior to concluding that the NLRP1 inflammasome plays a role in regulating the composition of the microbiome, we evaluated two additional strategies for cohousing wild-type and Nlrp1b–/– mice: breeding homozygous parents and cohousing at weaning, and breeding from heterozygous parents and cohousing littermates. We found that maternal influence was the greater predictor of microbiome composition rather than genotype. With the rise in microbiome research across disciplines, our study should be viewed as a cautionary example that illustrates the importance of careful breeding and housing strategies when evaluating host-microbiome interactions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 368 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Mays ◽  
Amelia Hunter ◽  
Lindsay Glass Campbell ◽  
Camila Carlos-Shanley

Abstract The gut microbiome is affected by host intrinsic factors, diet and environment, and strongly linked to host's health. Although fluctuations of microbiome composition are normal, some are due to changes in host environmental conditions. When species are moved into captive environments for conservation, education or rehabilitation, these new conditions can influence a change in gut microbiome composition. Here, we compared the microbiomes of wild and captive Comal Springs riffle beetles (Heterelmis comalensis) by using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We found that the microbiome of captive beetles was more diverse than wild beetle microbiomes. We identified 24 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) with relative abundances significantly different between the wild and captive beetles. Many of the ASVs overrepresented in captive beetle microbiomes belong to taxa linked to nitrogen-rich environments. This is one of the first studies comparing the effects of captivity on the microbiome of an endangered insect species. Our findings provide valuable information for future applications in the management of captive populations of H. comalensis.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Mays ◽  
Camila Carlos-Shanley ◽  
Lindsay Glass Campbell ◽  
Amelia Hunter

The gut microbiome is affected by host intrinsic factors, diet, environment, and strongly linked to host's health. Although fluctuations of microbiome composition are normal, some are due to changes in host environmental conditions. When species are moved into captive environments for conservation, education, or rehabilitation, these new conditions can influence a change in gut microbiome composition. Here, we compared the microbiomes of wild and captive Comal Springs riffle beetles (Heterelmis comalensis) by using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We found that the microbiome of captive beetles was more diverse than wild beetle microbiomes. We identified 24 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) with relative abundances significantly different between the wild and captive beetles. Many of the ASVs overrepresented in captive beetle microbiomes belong to taxa linked to nitrogen-rich environments. This is one of the first studies comparing the effects of captivity on the microbiome of an endangered insect species. Our findings provide valuable information for future applications in the management of captive populations of H. comalensis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Leoni ◽  
Mariateresa Volpicella ◽  
Bruno Fosso ◽  
Caterina Manzari ◽  
Elisabetta Piancone ◽  
...  

Microorganisms inhabiting saline environments are an interesting ecological model for the study of the adaptation of organisms to extreme living conditions and constitute a precious resource of enzymes and bioproducts for biotechnological applications. We analyzed the microbial communities in nine ponds with increasing salt concentrations (salinity range 4.9–36.0%) of the Saltern of Margherita di Savoia (Italy), the largest thalassohaline saltern in Europe. A deep-metabarcoding NGS procedure addressing separately the V5-V6 and V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene of Bacteria and Archaea, respectively, and a CARD-FISH (catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization) analysis allowed us to profile the dynamics of microbial populations at the different salt concentrations. Both the domains were detected throughout the saltern, even if the low relative abundance of Archaea in the three ponds with the lowest salinities prevented the construction of the relative amplicon libraries. The highest cell counts were recorded at 14.5% salinity for Bacteria and at 24.1% salinity for Archaea. While Bacteria showed the greatest number of genera in the first ponds (salinity range 4.9–14.5%), archaeal genera were more numerous in the last ponds of the saltern (salinity 24.1–36.0%). Among prokaryotes, Salinibacter was the genus with the maximum abundance (~49% at 34.6% salinity). Other genera detected at high abundance were the archaeal Haloquadratum (~43% at 36.0% salinity) and Natronomonas (~18% at 13.1% salinity) and the bacterial “Candidatus Aquiluna” (~19% at 14.5% salinity). Interestingly, “Candidatus Aquiluna” had not been identified before in thalassohaline waters.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Yan Zhu ◽  
Pascal Drouin ◽  
Dion Lepp ◽  
Xiu-Zhen Li ◽  
Honghui Zhu ◽  
...  

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin widely occurring in many agricultural commodities. In this study, a purified bacterial isolate, Bacillus sp. S62-W, obtained from one of 104 corn silage samples from various silos located in the United States, exhibited activity to transform the mycotoxin ZEA. A novel microbial transformation product, ZEA-14-phosphate, was detected, purified, and identified by HPLC, LC-MS, and NMR analyses. The isolate has been identified as belonging to the genus Bacillus according to phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and whole genome alignments. The isolate showed high efficacy in transforming ZEA to ZEA-14-phosphate (100% transformation within 24 h) and possessed advantages of acid tolerance (work at pH = 4.0), working under a broad range of temperatures (22–42 °C), and a capability of transforming ZEA at high concentrations (up to 200 µg/mL). In addition, 23 Bacillus strains of various species were tested for their ZEA phosphorylation activity. Thirteen of the Bacillus strains showed phosphorylation functionality at an efficacy of between 20.3% and 99.4% after 24 h incubation, suggesting the metabolism pathway is widely conserved in Bacillus spp. This study established a new transformation system for potential application of controlling ZEA although the metabolism and toxicity of ZEA-14-phosphate requires further investigation.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1658
Author(s):  
Jan C. Plaizier ◽  
Anne-Mette Danscher ◽  
Paula A. Azevedo ◽  
Hooman Derakhshani ◽  
Pia H. Andersen ◽  
...  

The effects of a subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) challenge on the composition of epimural and mucosa-associated bacterial communities throughout the digestive tract were determined in eight non-lactating Holstein cows. Treatments included feeding a control diet containing 19.6% dry matter (DM) starch and a SARA-challenge diet containing 33.3% DM starch for two days after a 4-day grain step-up. Subsequently, epithelial samples from the rumen and mucosa samples from the duodenum, proximal, middle and distal jejunum, ileum, cecum and colon were collected. Extracted DNA from these samples were analyzed using MiSeq Illumina sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Distinct clustering patterns for each diet existed for all sites. The SARA challenge decreased microbial diversity at all sites, with the exception of the middle jejunum. The SARA challenge also affected the relative abundances of several major phyla and genera at all sites but the magnitude of these effects differed among sites. In the rumen and colon, the largest effects were an increase in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and a reduction of Bacteroidetes. In the small intestine, the largest effect was an increase in the relative abundance of Actinobacteria. The grain-based SARA challenge conducted in this study did not only affect the composition and cause dysbiosis of epimural microbiota in the rumen, it also affected the mucosa-associated microbiota in the intestines. To assess the extent of this dysbiosis, its effects on the functionality of these microbiota must be determined in future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sesilje Weiss ◽  
David Taggart ◽  
Ian Smith ◽  
Kristofer M. Helgen ◽  
Raphael Eisenhofer

Abstract Background Marsupials are born much earlier than placental mammals, with most crawling from the birth canal to the protective marsupium (pouch) to further their development. However, little is known about the microbiology of the pouch and how it changes throughout a marsupial’s reproductive cycle. Here, using stringent controls, we characterized the microbial composition of multiple body sites from 26 wild Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats (SHNWs), including pouch samples from animals at different reproductive stages. Results Using qPCR of the 16S rRNA gene we detected a microbial community in the SHNW pouch. We observed significant differences in microbial composition and diversity between the body sites tested, as well as between pouch samples from different reproductive stages. The pouches of reproductively active females had drastically lower microbial diversity (mean ASV richness 19 ± 8) compared to reproductively inactive females (mean ASV richness 941 ± 393) and were dominated by gram positive bacteria from the Actinobacteriota phylum (81.7–90.6%), with the dominant families classified as Brevibacteriaceae, Corynebacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, and Dietziaceae. Three of the five most abundant sequences identified in reproductively active pouches had closest matches to microbes previously isolated from tammar wallaby pouches. Conclusions This study represents the first contamination-controlled investigation into the marsupial pouch microbiota, and sets a rigorous framework for future pouch microbiota studies. Our results indicate that SHNW pouches contain communities of microorganisms that are substantially altered by the host reproductive cycle. We recommend further investigation into the roles that pouch microorganisms may play in marsupial reproductive health and joey survival.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 5138-5144 ◽  
Author(s):  
ChoongSoo Yun ◽  
Daiki Amakata ◽  
Yasuhiro Matsuo ◽  
Hideyuki Matsuda ◽  
Makoto Kawamukai

ABSTRACT The betaproteobacterium Mitsuaria chitosanitabida (formerly Matsuebacter chitosanotabidus) 3001 produces a chitosanase (ChoA) that is classified in glycosyl hydrolase family 80. While many chitosanase genes have been isolated from various bacteria to date, they show limited homology to the M. chitosanitabida 3001 chitosanase gene (choA). To investigate the phylogenetic distribution of chitosanases analogous to ChoA in nature, we identified 67 chitosan-degrading strains by screening and investigated their physiological and biological characteristics. We then searched for similarities to ChoA by Western blotting and Southern hybridization and selected 11 strains whose chitosanases showed the most similarity to ChoA. PCR amplification and sequencing of the chitosanase genes from these strains revealed high deduced amino acid sequence similarities to ChoA ranging from 77% to 99%. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the 11 selected strains indicated that they are widely distributed in the β and γ subclasses of Proteobacteria and the Flavobacterium group. These observations suggest that the ChoA-like chitosanases that belong to family 80 occur widely in a broad variety of bacteria.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 728
Author(s):  
Bao-Gui Jiang ◽  
Ai-Qiong Wu ◽  
Jia-Fu Jiang ◽  
Ting-Ting Yuan ◽  
Qiang Xu ◽  
...  

A novel Borrelia species, Candidatus Borrelia javanense, was found in ectoparasite ticks, Amblyomma javanense, from Manis javanica pangolins seized in anti-smuggling operations in southern China. Overall, 12 tick samples in 227 (overall prevalence 5.3%) were positive for Candidatus B. javanense, 9 (5.1%) in 176 males, and 3 (5.9%) in 51 females. The phylogenetic analysis, based on the 16S rRNA gene and the flagellin gene sequences of the Borrelia sp., exhibited strong evidence that Candidatus B. javanense did not belong to the Lyme disease Borrelia group and the relapsing fever Borrelia group but another lineage of Borrelia. The discovery of the novel Borrelia species suggests that A. javanense may be the transmit vector, and the M. javanica pangolins should be considered a possible origin reservoir in the natural circulation of these new pathogens. To our knowledge, this is the first identification of a novel Borrelia species agent in A. javanense from pangolins. Whether the novel agent is pathogenic to humans is unknown and needs further research.


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