Biotransformation of Pb and As from sewage sludge and food waste by black soldier fly larvae: Migration mechanism of bacterial community and metalloregulatory protein scales

The accumulation and transformation of lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) during the digestion of sewage sludge (SS) by black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) remain unclear. In this study, we used 16 s rRNA and metagenomic sequencing techniques to investigate the correlation between the microbial community, metalloregulatory proteins (MRPs), and Pb and As migration and transformation. During the 15-day test period, BSFL were able to absorb 34-48 % of Pb and 32-45 % of As into their body. Changes in bacterial community abundance, upregulation of MRPs, and redundancy analysis (RDA) results confirmed that ZntA, EfeO, CadC, ArsR, ArsB, ArsD, and ArsA play major roles in the adsorption and stabilization of Pb and As, which is mainly due to the high contribution rates of Lactobacillus (48-59 %) and Enterococcus (21-23 %). Owing to the redox reaction, the regulation of the MRPs, and the change in pH, the Pb and As in the BSFL residue were mainly the residual fraction (F4). The RDA results showed that Lactobacillus and L.koreensis could significantly (P < 0.01) reduce the reducible fraction (F2) and F4 of Pb, whereas Firmicutes and L.fermentum can significantly (P < 0.05) promote the transformation of As to F4, thus realizing the passivation Pb and As. This study contributes to the understanding of Pb and As in SS adsorbed by BSFL and provides important insights into the factors that arise during the BSFL-mediated migration of Pb and As.

Effect of aqueous extract of Millettia speciosa Champ on intestinal health maintenance and immune enhancement of Cyprinus carpio

Millettia speciosa Champ (MSP) is a natural Chinese herb that improves gastrointestinal health and enhances animal immunity. An 8-week feeding trial with different MSP levels (0, 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg) was conducted to evaluate the promotive effects of MSP in Cyprinus carpio. Results indicate that MSP improved intestinal immunity to some extent evidenced by the immuno-antioxidant parameters and the 16S rRNA in the Illumina MiSeq platform. With the analysis of transcriptome sequencing, 4685 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 2149 up-regulated and 2536 down-regulated. According to the GO and KEGG enrichments, DEGs were mainly involved in the immune system. Transcriptional expression of the NOD-like signaling pathway and key genes retrieved from the transcriptome database confirmed that innate immunity was improved in response to dietary MSP administration. Therefore, MSP could be used as a feed supplement that enhances immunity. This may provide insight into Chinese herb additive application in aquaculture production.

Resistant effects determination of Lactobacillus supplementation on broilers to consecutive hydrogen sulfide exposure

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most irritant gases present in rearing stalls that suppress broilers' healthy growth, which is seriously required an effective alleviation method. In this study, Lactobacillus was supplemented to investigate the alleviative effects on broilers reared under consecutive H2S exposure. A total of 180 healthy 1-day-old male AA broilers with similar body weight (40.8 ± 1.0 g) were randomly allotted into the control treatment (CON), the hydrogen sulfide treatment (H2S), and the Lactobacillus supplement under H2S exposure treatment (LAC) for a 42-d-long feeding process. Growth and carcass performances, immunity-related parameters, intestinal development and cecal microbial communities, and blood metabolites were measured. Results showed that Lactobacillus supplement significantly increased the body weight gain (BWG) while reduced the mortality rate, abdominal fat and bursa of fabricius weight during the whole rearing time compared with H2S treatment (P < 0.05). Serum LPS, IL-1β, IL-2, and IL-6 contents were observed significantly increased after H2S treatment while remarkably decreased after Lactobacillus supplementation(P < 0.05). Intestinal morphology results showed a significant higher in the development of ileum villus height (P < 0.05). Cecal microbiota results showed the bacterial composition was significantly altered after Lactobacillus supplement (P < 0.05). Specifically, Lactobacillus supplement significantly decreased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium, while significantly proliferated the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, and Campylobacter (P<0.05). Metabolic results indicated that Lactobacillus supplement may alleviate the harmful effects caused by H2S through regulating the pyrimidine metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, fructose and mannose degradation, and beta-alanine metabolism. In summary, Lactobacillus supplement effectively increased BWG and decreased mortality rate of broilers under H2S exposure by enhancing the body's immune capacity, proliferating beneficial microbes (e.g., Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium), and regulating the physiological pyrimidine metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, and beta-alanine metabolism.

Using 16S rDNA and metagenomic sequencing technology to analyze the fecal microbiome of children with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

To investigate the gut microbiota distribution and its functions in children with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). A total of 135 children were enrolled in the study, including 102 children with ARFID and 33 healthy children. Fecal samples were analyzed to explore differences in gut microbiota composition and diversity and functional differences between the ARFID and healthy control (HC) groups via 16S rDNA and metagenomic sequencing. The gut microbiota composition and diversity in children with ARFID were different from those in heathy children, but there is no difference in the composition and diversity of gut microbiota between children at the age of 3-6 and 7-12 with ARFID. At the phylum level, the most abundant microbes in the two groups identified by 16S rDNA and metagenomic sequencing were the same. At the genus level, the abundance of Bacteroides was higher in the ARFID group (P > 0.05); however, different from the result of 16SrDNA sequencing, metagenomic sequencing showed that the abundance of Bacteroides in the ARFID group was significantly higher than that in the HC group (P = 0.041). At the species level, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lachnospira eligens were the most abundant taxa in the ARFID group, and Prevotella copri, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, and Ruminococcus gnavus were the top three microbial taxa in the HC group; there were no statistically significant differences between the abundance of these microbial taxa in the two groups. LefSe analysis indicated a greater abundance of the order Enterobacterales and its corresponding family Enterobacteriaceae, the family Bacteroidaceae and corresponding genus Bacteroides, the species Bacteroides vulgatus in ARFID group, while the abundance of the phylum Actinobacteriota and its corresponding class Actinobacteria , the order Bifidobacteriales and corresponding family Bifidobacteriaceae, the genus Bifidobacterium were enriched in the HC group. There were no statistically significant differences in the Chao1, Shannon and Simpson indices between the Y1 and Y2 groups (P = 0.1, P = 0.06, P = 0.06). At the phylum level, Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota were the most abundant taxa in both groups, but there were no statistically significant differences among the abundance of these bacteria (P = 0.958, P = 0.456, P = 0.473, P = 0.065). At the genus level, Faecalibacterium was more abundant in the Y2 group than in the Y1 group, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.037). The KEGG annotation results showed no significant difference in gut microbiota function between children with ARFID and healthy children; however, GT26 was significantly enriched in children with ARFID based on the CAZy database. The most abundant antibiotic resistance genes in the ARFID group were the vanT, tetQ, adeF, ermF genes, and the abundance of macrolide resistance genes in the ARFID group was significantly higher than that in the HC group (P = 0.041). Compared with healthy children, children with ARFID have a different distribution of the gut microbiota and functional genes. This indicates that the gut microbiome might play an important role in the pathogenesis of ARFID.Clinical trial registration: ChiCTR2300074759.

Prevention and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis through traditional Chinese medicine: role of the gut microbiota

Recently, despite the increasing availability of treatments for Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the incidence of RA and associated disability-adjusted life years have been on the rise globally in the late decades. At present, accumulating evidence has been advanced that RA is related to the gut microbiota, therefore, the therapeutic approaches for RA by regulating the gut microbiota are anticipated to become a new means of treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can regulate immunity, reduce inflammation and improve quality of life in various ways. Moreover, it can treat diseases by affecting the gut microbiota, which is a good way to treat RA. In this review, we mainly explore the relationship between TCM and gut microbiota regarding the perspective of treating RA. Moreover, we comprehensively summarize the roles of gut microbiota in the onset, development, progression, and prognosis of RA. Additionally, we elucidate the mechanism of TCM prevention and treatment of RA by the role of microbiota. Finally, we provide an evidence-based rationale for further investigation of microbiota-targeted intervention by TCM.

Comparison of the gut microbiota and metabolites between Diannan small ear pigs and Diqing Tibetan pigs

Objective

Host genetics and environment participate in the shaping of gut microbiota. Diannan small ear pigs and Diqing Tibetan pigs are excellent native pig breeds in China and live in different environments. However, the gut microbiota of Diannan small ear pigs and Diqing Tibetan pigs were still rarely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the composition characteristics of gut microbiota and metabolites in Diannan small ear pigs and Diqing Tibetan pigs.

Methods

Fresh feces of 6 pigs were randomly collected from 20 4-month-old Diannan small ear pigs (DA group) and 20 4-month-old Diqing Tibetan pigs (TA group) for high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) non-targeted metabolome analysis.

Results

The results revealed that Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla in the two groups. Chao1 and ACE indices differed substantially between DA and TA groups. Compared with the DA group, the relative abundance of Prevotellaceae, and Ruminococcus was significantly enriched in the TA group, while the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae, Actinomyces, and Butyricicoccus was significantly reduced. Cholecalciferol, 5-dehydroepisterol, stigmasterol, adrenic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were significantly enriched in DA group, which was involved in the steroid biosynthesis and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. 3-phenylpropanoic acid, L-tyrosine, phedrine, rhizoctin B, and rhizoctin D were significantly enriched in TA group, which was involved in the phenylalanine metabolism and phosphonate and phosphinate metabolism.

Conclusion

We found that significant differences in gut microbiota composition and metabolite between Diannan small ear pigs and Diqing Tibetan pigs, which provide a theoretical basis for exploring the relationship between gut microbiota and pig breeds.

Metagenomic insights into the relationship between gut microbiota and residual feed intake of small-sized meat ducks

Introduction

The objective of this study was to determine the regulatory effects of gut microbiota on the feed efficiency (FE) of small-sized meat ducks by evaluating correlations between gut microbiota and residual feed intake (RFI).

Methods

A total of 500 21-day-old healthy male ducks with similar initial body weights (645 ± 15.0 g) were raised contemporaneously in the same experimental facility until slaughter at 56 days of age. In total, nine low-RFI (LR) and nine high-RFI (HR) birds were selected for further gut microbiota composition and functional analyses based on the production performance, and the RFI was calculated from 22 to 56 days of age.

Results

Growth performance results indicated a significantly lower RFI, feed conversion ratio, feed intake, and average daily feed intake in the LR ducks (P < 0.05). Taxonomy results of gut microbiota showed the identification of 19 kinds of phyla and more than 250 kinds of genera in all samples. No significant discrepancies in cecal bacterial α-diversity were discovered between the LR and HR groups, which indicated that the microbial modulatory effects on RFI may be attributed to the bacterial composition, rather than the species diversity. Differential analysis of bacterial communities between the LR and HR groups showed a significant increment of Firmicutes and a significant decline of Bacteroidetes in the LR group (P < 0.05). Specifically, genera of Erysipelatoclostridium, Parasutterella, Fournierella, and Lactococcus significantly proliferated, while Bacteroides significantly decreased in the LR group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, correlation analysis showed that the RFI was significantly correlated with carbohydrate metabolism-related bacteria including Bacteroides, Alistipes, Bifidobacterium, Ruminiclostridium_9, Sellimonas, Oscillibacter, Escherichia-Shigella, Lactococcus, and Streptococcus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the communities related to carbohydrate metabolism had positive regulatory effects on the FE of small-sized meat ducks, promoting it by improving the relative abundance and utilization of these communities. The present study provides valuable insight into the dynamics of gut microbiota underlying the variations in the FE of small-sized meat ducks.

Ganoderma lingzhi culture enhance growth performance via improvement of antioxidant activity and gut probiotic proliferation in Sanhuang broilers

Introduction

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Ganoderma lingzhi culture (GLC) as a fermented feed on growth performance, serum biochemical profile, meat quality, and intestinal morphology and microbiota in Sanhuang broilers. In addition, the association between gut bacteria and metabolites was investigated via untargeted metabolomic analysis.

Methods

A total of 192 Sanhuang broilers (112 days old) with an initial body weight of 1.62 ± 0.19 kg were randomly allocated to four treatments, six replicate pens per treatment with 8 broilers per pen. The four treatments contain a control diet (corn-soybean meal basal diet, CON), a positive control diet (basal diet + 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline, PCON), and the experimental diets supplemented with 1.5 and 3% of GLC, respectively. The trial includes phase 1 (day 1-28) and phase 2 (day 29-56).

Results

The results showed that broilers in PCON and GLC-added treatments showed a lower FCR (P < 0.05) in phase 2 and overall period and a higher ADG (P < 0.05) in phase 2. On day 56, the concentrations of serum SOD (P < 0.05), and HDL (P < 0.05) and cecal SCFA contents (P < 0.05) were increased in broilers fed GLC diets. Broilers fed GLC also showed a higher microbiota diversity and an elevated abundance of SCFA-related bacteria in the caecum. The association between intestinal bacteria and metabolites was investigated via correlation analysis. The differential metabolites in the caecum, such as L-beta-aspartyl-L-aspartic acid and nicotinamide riboside, were identified.

Conclusion

In summary, dietary GCL supplementation could increase growth performance to some extent. Moreover, GLC might benefit broilers' health by improving serum HDL content, antioxidant status, SCFAs contents, bacterial diversity, and probiotic proliferation in the caecum.

Based on 16 S rRNA sequencing and metabonomics to reveal the new mechanism of aluminum potassium sulfate induced inflammation and abnormal lipid metabolism in mice

More and more discoveries have been made about the chronic toxic effects of aluminum, but the specific mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, we explored the perturbation of aluminum on intestinal microflora and its effects on host and microbial metabolites through a more realistic nutrient absorption model. The microorganisms Turicibacter, Lactobacillus murinus, Lactobacillus_reuteri and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum may be the main targets of the aluminum affecting microbiota. Lysine, proline, putrescine, serotonin and cholesterol may be important metabolites affected by aluminum ions after the interference of intestinal flora composition, leading to abnormal metabolism pathways of amino acids and lipids in the body, and thus promoting inflammation and lesion. The possible mechanisms of aluminum action on the body: (1) Affecting immune cell response, ROS generation and production of a series of pro-inflammatory factors to promote inflammation; (2) Through the disturbance of intestinal microbiota composition structure, change the abundance of metabolites, and then affect amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism pathways. The joint analysis of multiple omics showed significant difference in microbiome abundance and metabolomics expression between high dose group and the control group.

Gut microbiota composition in chemotherapy and targeted therapy of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

Studies have reported the effects of the gut microbiota on colorectal cancer (CRC) chemotherapy, but few studies have investigated the association between gut microbiota and targeted therapy. This study investigated the role of the gut microbiota in the treatment outcomes of patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC). We enrolled 110 patients with mCRC and treated them with standard cancer therapy. Stool samples were collected before administering a combination of chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Patients who had a progressive disease (PD) or partial response (PR) for at least 12 cycles of therapy were included in the study. We further divided these patients into anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (cetuximab) and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (bevacizumab) subgroups. The gut microbiota of the PR group and bevacizumab-PR subgroup exhibited significantly higher α-diversity. The β-diversity of bacterial species significantly differed between the bevacizumab-PR and bevacizumab-PD groups (P = 0.029). Klebsiella quasipneumoniae exhibited the greatest fold change in abundance in the PD group than in the PR group. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species exhibited higher abundance in the PD group. The abundance of Fusobacterium nucleatum was approximately 32 times higher in the PD group than in the PR group. A higher gut microbiota diversity was associated with more favorable treatment outcomes in the patients with mCRC. Bacterial species analysis of stool samples yielded heterogenous results. K. quasipneumoniae exhibited the greatest fold change in abundance among all bacterial species in the PD group. This result warrants further investigation especially in a Taiwanese population.

Impact of pectin with various esterification degrees on the profiles of gut microbiota and serum metabolites

Colitis is generally affected by multiple factors, including the dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota, and may affect organs outside colon through circulation. Pectin, which is an edible polysaccharide widely present in plant cell walls, has been proved in our previous study to possess preventive potentials against acute ulcerative colitis, especially when the esterification degree is less than 50%. This study aimed to clarify the underlying correlations of gut microbiome and serum metabolites with the preventive effects of pectin with different esterification degrees (H121, L13, and L102) against colitis in mice. MiSeq sequencing data showed that symbiotic bacteria especially beneficial Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium were enriched by pectin intake. Fiber consumers such as Prevotella and Bacteroides actively responded to L13 pectin, particularly under high dosage (L13-H). In addition, the abnormal abundance of Akkermansia associated with colitis would not appear in mice who had been provided with any of the three pectins before dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment. Furthermore, pre-treatment of H121 and L13 pectins could improve the serum glycerophospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). In contrast, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) contributing to the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway was enriched only in the L13-H group, which has been previously proved to be associated with the epithelial barrier and intestinal homeostasis. Positive relationships between the glycerophospholipids and the dominant candidates of intestinal bacteria such as Lactobacillus indicated the joint actions of intestinal microbes and serum metabolites as well as the underlying crosstalks among gut microbiome. Therefore, the results of this research suggested that the preventive effects of low-esterified pectin on DSS-induced colitis were likely to be initiated by the enrichment of probiotics in the gut and serum glycerophospholipids. KEY POINTS: • L13 pectin remarkably improved the diversity of the gut microbiome in healthy mice. • Probiotics were enriched and abnormal Akkermansia was restored by L13 and L102 pectins. • Glycerophospholipid metabolism was significantly enriched by H121 and L13 pectins.

Developmental changes of nutrient digestion in young lambs are influenced by weaning and associated with intestinal microbiota

Understanding the effects of weaning on the changes of digestive function could help to design efficient intervention strategies for promoting the development of the lamb during the early stages of life. In this study, 24 lambs were divided into two groups (control group, lambs were not weaned; and weaning group, lambs were weaned at 21 days of age). The growth, nutrient digestion, gastrointestinal enzyme activity, plasma biochemical indicators, and intestinal microbiota at 7-49 days were determined, as well as the impact of early weaning. The nutrient digestion changed rapidly with age, especially at 14-28 days (p < 0.05). Weaning reduced the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and ether extract (EE) intake and digestion, but increased the starch, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake and digestion (p < 0.05). Weaning did not affect the overall jejunal microbiota (p > 0.05), but affected the relative abundance of certain bacteria taxa (p < 0.05). Lactic acid-producing bacteria, such as Olsenella, Bacillus, Sharpea, and Bifidobacterium are closely related to CP or EE digestion and growth performance (p < 0.05). In summary, we delineated the pattern of nutrient digestion and intestinal microbiota development in young lambs, and the impact of early weaning.

Meconium Microbiome of Very Preterm Infants across Germany

Meconium constitutes infants' first bowel movements postnatally. The consistency and microbial load of meconium are different from infant and adult stool. While recent evidence suggests that meconium is sterile in utero, rapid colonization occurs after birth. The meconium microbiome has been associated with negative health outcomes, but its composition is not well described, especially in preterm infants. Here, we characterized the meconium microbiomes from 330 very preterm infants (gestational ages 28 to 32 weeks) from 15 hospitals in Germany and in fecal samples from a subset of their mothers (N = 217). Microbiome profiles were compiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing with negative and positive controls. The meconium microbiome was dominated by Bifidobacterium, Staphylococcus, and Enterococcus spp. and was associated with gestational age at birth and age at sample collection. Bifidobacterial abundance was negatively correlated with potentially pathogenic genera. The amount of bacterial DNA in meconium samples varied greatly across samples and was associated with the time since birth but not with gestational age or hospital site. In samples with low bacterial load, human mitochondrial sequences were highly amplified using commonly used, bacterial-targeted 16S rRNA primers. Only half of the meconium samples contained sufficient bacterial material to study the microbiome using a standard approach. To facilitate future meconium studies, we present a five-level scoring system (“MecBac”) that predicts the success of 16S rRNA bacterial sequencing for meconium samples. These findings provide a foundational characterization of an understudied portion of the human microbiome and will aid the design of future meconium microbiome studies.

IMPORTANCE Meconium is present in the intestines of infants before and after birth and constitutes their first bowel movements postnatally. The consistency, composition and microbial load of meconium is largely different from infant and adult stool. While recent evidence suggests that meconium is sterile in utero, rapid colonization occurs after birth. The meconium microbiome has been associated with short-term and long-term negative health outcomes, but its composition is not yet well described, especially in preterm infants. We provide a characterization of the microbiome structure and composition of infant meconium and maternal feces from a large study cohort and propose a method to evaluate meconium samples for bacterial sequencing suitability. These findings provide a foundational characterization of an understudied portion of the human microbiome and will aid the design of future meconium microbiome studies.

Bacteroides fragilis restricts colitis-associated cancer via negative regulation of the NLRP3 axis

Patients with persistent ulcerative colitis (UC) are at a higher risk of developing colitis-associated cancer (CAC). Previous studies have reported that intestinal microbiota disturbance plays an important role in the process of CAC development in patients with UC, indicating that targeted intervention of intestinal microbiota and its metabolites may be a potential therapeutic strategy. Gut microbiota in the process of colorectal cancer development in UC patients was analyzed using the gutMEGA database and verified in fecal samples. The abundance of Bacteroides fragilis reduced significantly in the process of colitis associated cancer development. Broad-spectrum antibiotics (BSAB) intervene with the intestinal microbiota of mice and accelerate the process of colon cancer development. However, gavage transplantation with B. fragilis can effectively reverse the effects of BSAB. In the intestinal tract, B. fragilis promotes the secretion of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Subsequently, SCFAs, especially butyrate, negatively regulate the inflammatory signaling pathway mediated by NLRP3 to inhibit the activation of macrophages and the secretion of proinflammatory mediators such as IL-18 and IL-1β, reducing the level of intestinal inflammation and restricting CAC development. In conclusion, colonization with B. fragilis has been shown to be effective in ameliorating intestinal epithelial damage caused by chronic inflammation and preventing the development of colonic tumors. Thus, it can be a therapeutic intervention strategy with good clinical application prospects.

Gastrointestinal Development and Microbiota Responses of Geese to Honeycomb Flavonoids Supplementation

Background: Geese are conventionally considered to be herbivorous, which could also be raised with concentrate feeding diets without green grass because of the similar gastrointestinal tract with other poultry. However, the geese gut microbiota profiles and their interactions with epithelial cells are still of limited study. Flavonoids were well-documented to shape gut microbiota and promote epithelial barrier functions individually or cooperatively with other metabolites. Therefore, in the present study, honeycomb flavonoids (HF) were supplemented to investigate the effects on growth performances, intestinal development, and gut microbiome of geese.

Material and Methods: A total of 400 1-day-old male lion-head geese with similar birth weight (82.6 ± 1.4 g) were randomly divided into five treatments: the control treatment (CON) and the HF supplementation treatments, HF was supplemented arithmetically to increase from 0.25 to 1%. Growth performance, carcass performances, and intestines' development parameters were measured to determine the optimum supplement. Junction proteins including ZO-1 and ZO-2 and cecal microbiota were investigated to demonstrate the regulatory effects of HF on both microbiota and intestinal epithelium.

Results: Results showed that 0.5% of HF supplement had superior growth performance, carcass performance, and the total parameters of gastrointestinal development to other treatments. Further research showed that tight junction proteins including ZO-1 and ZO-2 significantly up-regulated, while Firmicutes and some probiotics including Clostridiales, Streptococcus, Lachnoclostridium, and Bifidobacterium, remarkably proliferated after HF supplement. In conclusion, HF supplement in concentrate-diet feeding geese effectively increased the growth performances by regulating the gut microbiota to increase the probiotic abundance to promote the nutrient digestibility and fortify the epithelial development and barrier functions to facilitate the nutrient absorption and utilization.

Dietary supplementation with Bacillus subtilis DSM 32315 alters the intestinal microbiota and metabolites in weaned piglets

AIM

The study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary Bacillus subtilis (BS) DSM 32315 on the intestinal microbiota composition and metabolites of weaned pigs.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Sixty-four piglets were allocated to two groups (control and BS), each group including eight replicates with four piglets. Dietary BS DSM 32315 increased (P < 0·05) the abundances of jejunal Leucobacter and Cupriavidus, ileal Thermus, Coprococcus and Bifidobacterium, as well as colonic Succiniclasticum; and increased the concentrations of ileal straight-chain fatty acids, colonic propionate, branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs), and tyramine, but decreased (P < .05) the colonic indole concentration. The ileal and colonic microbial community structure tended to cluster into two groups. LEfSe analysis identified five microbial biomarkers in jejunum and eight biomarkers in ileum in the BS group, and three biomarkers in colon in the control group. The ileal Bifidobacterium abundance was positively correlated (P < 0·05) with isovalerate concentration, while the colonic Actinobacteria and Lactobacillus abundances were negatively correlated (P < 0·05) with indole concentration.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that dietary supplementation with BS DSM 32315 could alter the diversity, composition, and metabolites of intestinal microbiota in weaned piglets.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Weaned piglets are often accompanied with impaired gastrointestinal tract and intestinal disorder affecting their growth. This study demonstrated that dietary BS DSM 32315 presented a beneficial role in gut health via regulating intestinal microbiota composition and metabolites.

Fecal Microbial Signatures Are Associated With Engraftment Failure Following Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in Pediatric Crohn's Disease Patients With IL10RA Deficiency

OBJECTIVES

Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is associated with a relatively high rate of engraftment failure. This study aimed at exploring whether any fecal microbiota could be associated with engraftment failure following UCBT in Crohn's disease patients with IL10RA deficiency.

METHODS

Thirteen patients were recruited and their 230 fecal samples were collected longitudinally from immediately before conditioning chemotherapy to 8 weeks post the UCBT. The V3-V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene were amplified by PCR and sequenced, followed by bioinformatics analyses.

RESULTS

Following the UCBT, 7 out of 13 patients achieved neutrophil and platelet engraftment with a median of 21 and 28 days, respectively (S group), while 6 patients failed to achieve engraftment (F group). In comparison with that in the S group, significantly lower Shannon diversity values on the UCBT day (P = 0.0176) and less abundance of Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, Enterobacteriaceae_538000, and one taxon of Lachnospiraceae family was detected in the F group, accompanied by significantly higher abundances of four taxa including Lautropia, Pseudomonas, and species Microvirgula aerodenitrificans during the chemotherapy period as well as UCBT. The abundances of thirty OTUs were correlated significantly with clinical indices.

CONCLUSIONS

Microbial indicators of reduced diversity of microbiota and signatures of specific bacterial abundances, such as a lower abundance of Bifidobacterium longum, for engraftment failure would require validation. These indicators may help for the risk stratification in patients with IL10RA deficiency undergoing UCBT.