Diversity Analysis of Bacterial and Function Prediction in Hurunge From Mongolia

Study on the effect of koumiss on reactivation of Toxoplasma gondii infection

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that infects nucleated cells of all warm-blooded animals, and most patients have latent infections. The latent infection will be reactivated in the immunocompromised or immunocompromised individuals, which will lead to severe toxoplasmosis. At present, less research has been focused on the reactivation of T. gondii infection. Koumiss is a kind of fermented milk made from fresh mare’s milk through natural fermentation that can be applied to clinical and rehabilitation medicine to mitigate the development of various diseases due to its unique functional characteristics. In this study, we explored the antagonistic effect of koumiss on reactivation of T. gondii infection. Mice were treated with dexamethasone to establish a reactivation model after infection with T. gondii and then treated with koumiss. The survival rate, SHIRPA test, serum cytokine levels, organ parasite burden and intestinal microbiota were measured, respectively. Our results showed that koumiss treatment improved the clinical symptoms of mice, significantly reduced the organ parasite burden of mice, and improved the composition and structure of intestinal flora. This study provides new evidence for the alleviation and treatment of toxoplasmosis and provides a novel idea for the development and utilization of koumiss.

Study on the antagonistic effects of koumiss on Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice

Toxoplasma gondii is an important food-borne zoonotic parasite, and approximately one-third of people worldwide are positive for T. gondii antibodies. To date, there are no specific drugs or vaccines against T. gondii. Therefore, developing a new safe and effective method has become a new trend in treating toxoplasmosis. Koumiss is rich in probiotics and many components that can alleviate the clinical symptoms of many diseases via the functional characteristics of koumiss and its regulation of intestinal flora. To investigate the antagonistic effect of koumiss on T. gondii infection, the model of acute and chronic T. gondii infection was established in this study. The survival rate, SHIRPA score, serum cytokine levels, brain cyst counts, β-amyloid deposition and intestinal flora changes were measured after koumiss feeding. The results showed that the clinical symptoms of mice were improved at 6 dpi and that the SHIRPA score decreased after koumiss feeding (P < 0.05). At the same time, the levels of IL-4, IFN-γ and TNF-α decreased (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference of survival rate between koumiss treatment and the other groups. Surprisingly, the results of chronic infection models showed that koumiss could significantly reduce the number of brain cysts in mice (P < 0.05), improve β-amyloid deposition in the hippocampus (P < 0.01) and decrease the levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Moreover, koumiss could influence the gut microbiota function in resisting T. gondii infection. In conclusion, koumiss had a significant effect on chronic T. gondii infection in mice and could improve the relevant indicators of acute T. gondii infection in mice. The research provides new evidence for the development of safe and effective anti-T. gondii methods, as well as a theoretical basis and data support for the use of probiotics against T. gondii infection and broadened thoughts for the development and utilization of koumiss.

Effects of Intestinal Microorganisms on Metabolism and Toxicity Mitigation of Zearalenone in Broilers

Simple Summary

Zearalenone (ZEN) widely contaminates all the feed crops, and ZEN may cause harmful damage to animals and humans. Different animals have different sensitivity to ZEN. Among these animals, chickens show a strong resistance. Intestinal microorganisms are essential in digestion and degradation. Therefore, we hypothesise whether intestinal microorganisms in chickens play an important role in digesting and degrading ZEN. In this study, we found that intestinal microorganisms could degrade ZEN to a certain degree by both vivo and vitro experiments. We concluded that the intestinal microbiota of broilers had metabolic effects on ZEN and alleviated antioxidant and liver damage caused by ZEN to broilers. Moreover, we found some key bacteria that are important in degrading ZEN.

Abstract

Zearalenone (ZEN) is an estrogenic mycotoxin, and chickens are relatively insensitive to it. In this study, the effects of intestinal microorganisms on ZEN metabolism and toxicity mitigation in broilers were studied by two experiments. Firstly, in vitro, ZEN was incubated anaerobically with chyme from each part of the chicken intestine to study its intestinal microbial metabolism. Then, in vivo, we explored the effects of intestinal microbiota on ZEN by inhibiting intestinal microorganisms. Broilers were fed a control diet, 2.5 mg/kg ZEN diet, microbial inhibition diet or ‘microbial inhibition +2.5 mg/kg ZEN’ diet. In vitro, the results showed that the rates of ZEN degradation by microorganisms in the duodenum, ileum, caecum, and colon were 56%, 12%, 15%, and 17%, respectively, and the microorganisms could convert ZEN into Zearalenol (ZOL). After microbial inhibition in vivo, the content of ZEN and its metabolites in excreta of broilers increased significantly, and antioxidant damage and liver damage were aggravated. 16S rRNA sequencing results showed that antioxidant indices and the content of ZEN and its metabolites in excreta were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of Streptococcus, Lactococcus and Enterococcus, etc. In conclusion, the intestinal microorganisms of broilers play an important role in ZEN metabolism and ZEN-induced antioxidant and liver injury mitigation, among which the key bacteria include Streptococcus, Lactococcus and Enterococcus, etc.