Dataset Information

Longitudinal microbiome profiling reveals impermanence of probiotic bacteria in domestic pigeons.

ABSTRACT: Probiotics are bacterial species or assemblages that are applied to animals and plants with the intention of altering the microbiome in a beneficial way. Probiotics have been linked to positive health effects such as faster disease recovery times in humans and increased weight gain in poultry. Pigeon fanciers often feed their show pigeons probiotics with the intention of increasing flight performance. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of two different probiotics, alone and in combination, on the fecal microbiome of Birmingham Roller pigeons. We sequenced fecal samples from 20 pigeons divided into three probiotic treatments, including prior to, during, and after treatment. Pre-treatment and control group samples were dominated by Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria. Administration of a probiotic pellet containing Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus acidophilus resulted in increase in average relative abundance of Lactobacillus spp. from 4.7 ± 2.0% to 93.0 ± 5.3%. No significant effects of Enterococcus spp. were detected. Probiotic-induced shifts in the microbiome composition were temporary and disappeared within 2 days of probiotic cessation. Administration of a probiotic powder in drinking water that contained Enterococcus faecium and three Lactobacillus species had minimal effect on the microbiome. We conclude that supplementing Birmingham roller pigeons with the probiotic pellets, but not the probiotic powder, temporarily changed the microbiome composition. A next step is to experimentally test the effect of these changes in microbiome composition on host health and physical performance.

SUBMITTER: Grond K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6578490 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Longitudinal microbiome profiling reveals impermanence of probiotic bacteria in domestic pigeons.

Grond Kirsten K Perreau Julie M JM Loo Wesley T WT Spring A James AJ Cavanaugh Colleen M CM Hird Sarah M SM

PloS one 20190617 6

Probiotics are bacterial species or assemblages that are applied to animals and plants with the intention of altering the microbiome in a beneficial way. Probiotics have been linked to positive health effects such as faster disease recovery times in humans and increased weight gain in poultry. Pigeon fanciers often feed their show pigeons probiotics with the intention of increasing flight performance. The objective of our study was to determine the effect of two different probiotics, alone and i ...[more]

PMID: 31206549

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Project description:The vaginal microbiota plays an important role in women's reproductive and urogenital health. It is now well accepted that a "healthy" vaginal microbiome is dominated by Lactobacillus species. Disturbances in this microbial community can lead to several adverse outcomes, including pelvic inflammatory disease and bacterial vaginosis (BV), as well as increased susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections, miscarriage, and preterm births. However, vaginal communities, especially those of women in the developing world, can be comprised of a diverse set of microorganisms in the absence of overt clinical symptoms. The implications of these diverse vaginal microbiomes for women's health remain poorly understood. Rhesus macaques are an excellent translational animal model to address these questions due to significant physiological and genetic homology with humans. In this study, we performed a longitudinal analysis of clinical and microbiome data from 16 reproductive-age female rhesus macaques. At both the taxonomic and functional levels, the rhesus macaque vaginal microbiome was most similar to that of women who harbor a diverse vaginal community associated with asymptomatic/symptomatic bacterial vaginosis. Specifically, rhesus macaque vaginal microbiomes harbored a diverse set of anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, including Sneathia, Prevotella, Porphyromonas, and Mobiluncus Interestingly, some animals were transiently colonized by Lactobacillus and some with Gardnerella Our in-depth and comprehensive analysis highlights the importance of the model to understand the health implications of a diverse vaginal microbiome and test interventions for manipulating this community.IMPORTANCE It is widely accepted that the "healthy" vaginal microbiome of women in the developed world is dominated by Lactobacillus species. However, in the developing world, many asymptomatic women harbor diverse vaginal microbial communities that are typically associated with bacterial vaginosis. Many questions remain about the drivers and health implications of a diverse vaginal microbial community. Rhesus macaques provide an excellent translational model to address these questions due to significant physiological and genetic homology with humans. In this study, we performed a longitudinal analysis of clinical and microbiome data from a large cohort of reproductive-age rhesus macaques. At the taxonomic, genomic, and functional levels, the rhesus macaque vaginal microbiome was most similar to that of humans, who harbor a diverse vaginal community associated with asymptomatic/symptomatic bacterial vaginosis. Our in-depth and comprehensive analysis highlights the utility of macaques as a model to study diverse vaginal community state types and test interventions for manipulating the vaginal microbiome.

Project description:BackgroundDespite recent advances in the understanding of the swine gut microbiome at different growth stages, a comprehensive longitudinal study of the lifetime (birth to market) dynamics of the swine gut microbiome is lacking.ResultsTo fill in this gap of knowledge, we repeatedly collected a total of 273 rectal swabs from 18 pigs during lactation (day (d) 0, 11, 20), nursery (d 27, 33, 41, 50, 61), growing (d 76, 90, 104, 116), and finishing (d 130, 146, 159, 174) stages. DNA was extracted and subjected to sequencing with an Illumina Miseq sequencer targeting the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Sequences were analyzed with the Deblur algorithm in the QIIME2 package. A total of 19 phyla were detected in the lifetime pig gut microbiome with Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes being the most abundant. Alpha diversity including community richness (e.g., number of observed features) and diversity (e.g., Shannon index) showed an overall increasing trend. Distinct shifts in microbiome structure along different growth stages were observed. LEfSe analysis revealed 91 bacterial features that are stage-specific. To validate these discoveries, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) by inoculating weanling pigs with mature fecal microbiota from a growing stage pig. Similar stage-specific patterns in microbiome diversity and structures were also observed in both the FMT pigs and their littermates. Although FMT remarkably increased growth performance, it did not change the overall swine gut microbiome. Only a few taxa including those associated with Streptococcus and Clostridiaceae were enriched in the FMT pigs. These data, together with several other lines of evidence, indicate potential roles these taxa play in promoting animal growth performance. Diet, especially crude fiber from corn, was a major factor shaping the swine gut microbiome. The priority effect, i.e., the order and timing of species arrival, was more evident in the solid feed stages.ConclusionsThe distinct stage-associated swine gut microbiome may be determined by the differences in diet and/or gut physiology at different growth stages. Our study provides insight into mechanisms governing gut microbiome succession and also underscores the importance of optimizing stage-specific probiotics aimed at improving animal health and production.

Dataset Information

Longitudinal microbiome profiling reveals impermanence of probiotic bacteria in domestic pigeons.

Publications

Longitudinal microbiome profiling reveals impermanence of probiotic bacteria in domestic pigeons.

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