Vertebrates rely on their gut microbiome for digestion, and changes to gut microbial communities can impact host health. Past work, primarily in model organisms, has revealed that endoparasites disrupt the gut microbiome. Here, using wild-caught white-throated woodrats (Neotoma albigula), we tested whether naturally acquired parasite infections are associated with different microbiome structure and function. We surveyed wild N. albigula in eastern Utah for gastrointestinal parasites in the spring and fall of 2019, using traditional fecal float methods and testing a PCR-based approach to detect infection. We tested whether the host gut microbiome structure and function differed based on infection with the most prevalent parasite, the pinworm Lamotheoxyuris ackerti. In spring, infected and uninfected animals had significantly different microbiomes, but these differences were not detected in the fall. However, for both sampling periods, infection was associated with differences in particular microbial taxa determined by differential abundance analysis. As N. albigula rely on their microbiomes to digest both fiber and the plant defensive compound oxalate, we compared microbiome function by measuring dry matter digestibility and oxalate intake in infected and uninfected animals. Although we expected infected animals to have reduced fiber degradation and oxalate intake, we found no difference in microbiome function using these assays. This work suggests that parasite effects on the microbiome may be difficult to detect in complex natural systems, and more studies in wild organisms are warranted.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1645/22-11 | DOI Listing |
Front Cell Infect Microbiol
January 2025
Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava and National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia.
The microbiome-gut-testis axis has emerged as a significant area of interest in understanding testicular cancer, particularly testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), which represent the most common malignancy in young men. The interplay between the gut and testicular microbiomes is hypothesized to influence tumorigenesis and reproductive health, underscoring the complex role of microbial ecosystems in disease pathology. The microbiome-gut-testis axis encompasses complex interactions between the gut microbiome, systemic immune modulation, and the local microenvironment of the testis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Allergy
January 2025
Department of Medicine and Surgery, Pediatric Unit, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
The gut barrier encompasses several interactive, physical, and functional components, such as the gut microbiota, the mucus layer, the epithelial layer and the gut mucosal immunity. All these contribute to homeostasis in a well-regulated manner. Nevertheless, this frail balance might be disrupted for instance by westernized dietary habits, infections, pollution or exposure to antibiotics, thus diminishing protective immunity and leading to the onset of chronic diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
January 2025
Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Introduction: The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in influencing host health, through the production of metabolites and other key signalling molecules. While the impact of specific metabolites or taxa on host cells is well-documented, the broader impact of a disrupted microbiota on immune homeostasis is less understood, which is particularly important in the context of the increasing overuse of antibiotics.
Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice were gavaged twice daily for four weeks with Vancomycin, Polymyxin B, or PBS (control).
Front Immunol
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, Co-Constructed by Ministry of Education and Beijing Municipality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Introduction: Synbiotics have revealed the possibility of improving constipation through gut microbiota. The synergistic efficacy of subsp. lactis BL-99 (BL-99) and fructooligosaccharide (FOS) on constipation have not been investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
January 2025
Faculty of Life and Biotechnology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
Background: Dysbiosis of the lung microbiome can contribute to the initiation and progression of lung cancer. Synchronous multiple primary lung cancer (sMPLC) is an increasingly recognized subtype of lung cancer characterized by high morbidity, difficulties in early detection, poor prognosis, and substantial clinical challenges. However, the relationship between sMPLC pathogenesis and changes in the lung microbiome remains unclear.
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