Open AccessPorcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus impacts on gut microbiome in a strain virulence‐dependent fashion
Author(s) -
Argüello Héctor,
RodríguezGómez Irene Magdalena,
SánchezCarvajal Jose María,
Pallares Francisco José,
Díaz Iván,
CabreraRubio Raúl,
Crispie Fiona,
Cotter Paul D.,
Mateu Enric,
MartínValls Gerard,
Carrasco Librado,
GómezLaguna Jaime
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.13757
Subject(s) - virulence , biology , porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , microbiome , roseburia , virus , virology , prevotella , gut flora , immunology , bacteroides , bacteria , gene , genetics
Summary Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a viral disease defined by reproductive problems, respiratory distress and a negative impact on growth rate and general condition. Virulent PRRS virus (PRRSV) strains have emerged in the last years with evident knowledge gaps in their impact on the host immune response. Thus, the present study examines the impact of acute PRRS virus (PRRSV) infection, with two strains of different virulence, on selected immune parameters and on the gut microbiota composition of infected pigs using 16S rRNA compositional sequencing. Pigs were infected with a low virulent (PRRS_3249) or a virulent (Lena) PRRSV‐1 strain and euthanized at 1, 3, 6, 8 or 13 days post‐inoculation (dpi). Faeces were collected from each animal at the necropsy time‐point. Alpha and beta diversity analyses demonstrated that infection, particularly with the Lena strain, impacted the microbiome composition from 6 dpi onwards. Taxonomic differences revealed that infected pigs had higher abundance of Treponema and Methanobrevibacter ( FDR < 0.05). Differences were more considerable for Lena‐ than for PRRS_3249‐infected pigs, showing the impact of strain virulence in the intestinal changes. Lena‐infected pigs had reduced abundancies of anaerobic commensals such as Roseburia , Anaerostipes , Butyricicoccus and Prevotella ( P < 0.05). The depletion of these desirable commensals was significantly correlated to infection severity measured by viraemia, clinical signs, lung lesions and immune parameters (IL‐6, IFN‐γ and Hp serum levels). Altogether, the results from this study demonstrate the indirect impact of PRRSV infection on gut microbiome composition in a strain virulence‐dependent fashion and its association with selected immune markers.