Gut Fungal Microbiome Responses to Natural Cryptosporidium Infection in Horses

Abstract

It is critical to characterize changes in the structure and composition of the host fungal community in natural Cryptosporidium infection, because it gives the possible overview of gut microbiome in host homeostasis and disease progression. A total of 168 rectal fecal samples were collected and examined using nPCR. The positive samples were double-checked using 18S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. After confirmation, ITS high-throughput sequencing was utilized to investigate the fungal community’s response to natural Cryptosporidium infection. Results showed that a total of three positive samples (1.79%) were identified with an increased abundance of fungi associated with health hazards, such as class Dothideomycetes, families, i.e., Cladosporiaceae, Glomerellaceae, and genera, i.e., Wickerhamomyces, Talaromyces, Cladosporium, Dactylonectria, and Colletotrichum. On the contrary, taxa associated with favorable physiological effects on the host were shown to have the reverse impact, such as families, i.e., Psathyrellaceae, Pseudeurotiaceae and genera (Beauveria, Nigrospora, and Diversispora). For the first time, we evaluated the condition of natural Cryptosporidium infection in horses in Wuhan, China, and discovered distinct variations in the fungal microbiome in response to natural infection. It might prompt a therapy or prevention strategy to apply specific fungal microorganisms that are probably responsible for decreased susceptibility or increased resistance to infection.

Early immune and host cell responses to Cryptosporidium infection

“…Monkeys with active infection were found to have enriched taxa associated with dysbiosis, inflammation and rapid transit time thorough the gut ( McKenney et al, 2017 ). Shifts in fungal microbiome in horses have also been observed after cryptosporidial infections ( Wang et al, 2022 ).…”

Case Report: The impact of severe cryptosporidiosis on the gut microbiota of a pediatric patient with CD40L immunodeficiency

“…Furthermore, some studies have shown that probiotics can alleviate symptoms associated with Cryptosporidium infection, further highlighting the direct impact that the GM can have on parasitosis ( Pickerd and Tuthill, 2004 ; Sindhu et al., 2014 ; Pane and Putignani, 2022 ). GM alterations in response to Cryptosporidium infection have been described in mice ( Wang et al., 2023 ), livestock ( Mammeri et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2022 ; Chen et al., 2023 ), and in very young children ( Toro-Londono et al., 2019 ; Carey et al., 2021 ), but, to our knowledge, the effect of chronic cryptosporidiosis on the composition of the human microbiome has never been addressed in any immunocompromised patient. Here, we describe the first European case of chronic infection due to the Cryptosporidium parvum IIaA20G1 subgenotype in a child with primary immunodeficiency, a rare zoonotic lineage which, thus far, has only been described in a very small number of humans and livestock in Jordan, Kuwait and Iran ( Sulaiman et al., 2005 ; Nazemalhosseini-Mojarad et al., 2011 ; Hijjawi et al., 2016 ).…”