Interaction of intestinal bacteria with human rotavirus during infection in children

Abstract

The gut microbiota has emerged as a key factor in the pathogenesis of intestinal viruses, including enteroviruses, noroviruses and rotaviruses (RV), where stimulatory and inhibitory effects on infectivity have been reported. With the aim of determining whether members of the microbiota interact with RV during infection, a combination of anti-RV antibody labelling, fluorescence-activated cell sorting and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to characterize the interaction between specific bacteria and RV in stool samples of children suffering diarrhea produced by G1P[8] RV. The genera Ruminococcus and Oxalobacter were identified as RV binders in stools, displaying enrichments between 4.8 to 5.4-fold compared to samples non-labelled with anti-RV antibodies. In vitro binding of the G1P[8] Wa human RV strain to two Ruminococcus gauvreauii human isolates was confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. Analysis in R. gauvreauii with antibodies directed to several histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) indicated that these bacteria express HBGA-like substances at their surfaces that can be the target for RV binding. Furthermore, in vitro infection of Wa strain in differentiated Caco-2 cells was significantly reduced by incubation with R. gauvreauii. These data, together with previous findings that had shown a negative correlation between Ruminococcus levels and antibody titers to RV in healthy individuals, suggest a pivotal interaction between this bacterial group and human RV. These results reveal likely mechanisms on how specific bacterial taxa of the intestinal microbiota could negatively affect RV infection and open new possibilities for anti-viral strategies.

The Long-Term Impact of Rotavirus Vaccines in Korea, 2008–2020; Emergence of G8P[8] Strain

“…Rotavirus (RV) is one of the leading causes of gastroenteritis in young children and many other animal species [ 1 ]. Although there is a large discrepancy in incidence and mortality between high- and low-income countries, RV infection is responsible for nearly 130,000 deaths annually with a considerable economic burden [ 2 ]. The genome of RV consists of 11 double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) surrounded by a three-layered icosahedral protein capsid.…”

Microbiota depletion promotes human rotavirus replication in an adult mouse model

“…These interactions have been evidenced in in vitro experiments for a number of bacterial strains [23,39]. Species such as Ruminococcus gauvreauii [9] and others [40] express HBGA-like substances on their surface which are binding targets for RV.…”

“…As an example, Ruminococcus practically disappeared after Ab administration. These bacteria were correlated with low anti-RV IgA titers in human saliva of healthy subjects [37], have recently been characterized as microorganisms physically interacting with RV in the stools of children suffering P [8] RV-induced diarrhoea, and reduced RVwa infectivity in Caco-2 cell cultures [9]. Bifidobacterium, another relevant genus of probiotic bacteria with proven anti-RV properties [35,38] was also eradicated by antibiotics.…”

“…Some evidence points towards a positive effect, showing reduced RV infectivity in germ-free or antibiotic-treated mice [8]. Contrarily, some microorganisms, including probiotic bacteria, directly interact with RV and potentially block their binding to epithelial receptors, counteracting infection [9].…”