Project description:Today, swine is regarded as promising biomedical model, however, its gastrointestinal microbiome dynamics have been less investigated than that of humans or murine models . The aim of this study was to establish a high-throughput multi-omics pipeline to investigate the healthy fecal microbiome of swine and its temporal dynamics as basis for future infection studies. To this end, a homogenization protocol based on deep-frozen feces followed by integrated sample preparation for different meta-omics analyses was developed. Subsequent data integration linked microbiome composition with function, i.e. expressed proteins and secreted metabolites.
Project description:Seasonal influenza outbreaks represent a large burden for the healthcare system as well as the economy. While the role of the microbiome in the context of various diseases has been elucidated, the effects on the respiratory and gastrointestinal microbiome during influenza illness is largely unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the temporal development of the respiratory and gastrointestinal microbiome of swine using a multi-omics approach prior and during influenza infection. Swine is a suitable animal model for influenza research, as it is closely related to humans and a natural host for influenza viruses. Our results showed that IAV infection resulted in significant changes in the abundance of Moraxellaceae and Pasteurellaceae families in the upper respiratory tract. To our surprise, temporal development of the respiratory microbiome was not affected. Furthermore, we observed significantly altered microbial richness and diversity in the gastrointestinal microbiome after IAV infection. In particular, we found increased abundances of Prevotellaceae, while Clostridiaceae and Lachnospiraceae decreased. Furthermore, metaproteomics showed that the functional composition of the microbiome, known to be robust and stable under healthy conditions, was heavily affected by the influenza infection. Metabolome analysis proved increased amounts of short-chain fatty acids in the gastrointestinal tract, which might be involved in faster recovery. Furthermore, metaproteome data suggest a possible immune response towards flagellated Clostridia induced during the infection. Therefore, it can be assumed that the respiratory infection with IAV caused a systemic effect in the porcine host and microbiome.