The microbial biogeography of the gastrointestinal tract of preterm and term lambs

Abstract

Nutritional supplementation is a common clinical intervention to support the growth of preterm infants. There is little information on how nutritional supplementation interacts with the developing microbiome of the small intestine, the major site for nutrient metabolism and absorption. We investigated the effect of preterm birth and nutritional supplementation on the mucosal and luminal microbiota along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of preterm lambs. Preterm lambs (n = 24) were enterally supplemented with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), carbohydrate (maltodextrin), or water for two weeks from birth. Term lambs (n = 7) received water. Mucosal scrapings and luminal samples were collected from the duodenum, jejunum, ileum (small intestine) and colon at six weeks post-term age and analysed by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Anatomical site explained 54% (q = 0.0004) of the variance and differences between the term and preterm groups explained 5.7% (q = 0.024) of the variance in microbial beta-diversities. The colon was enriched with Tenericutes and Verrucomicrobia compared to the small intestine, while Actinobacteria, and superphylum Patescibacteria were present in higher abundance in the small intestine compared to the colon. Our findings highlight that early-life short-term nutritional supplementation in preterm lambs does not alter the microbial community residing in the small intestine and colon.

Modulation of Gut Microbiota Combined with Upregulation of Intestinal Tight Junction Explains Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Corylin on Colitis-Associated Cancer in Mice

“…In contrast, the microbiota composition in signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) tumor samples was significantly enriched in the phyla Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes , and Patescibacteria [ 51 ]. The phylum Patescibacteria was enriched throughout the luminal content in the small intestine when compared with that of the colon of preterm lambs [ 52 ]. These results suggest that the abundance of bacteria, which depends on disease procession, is not typically associated with a healthy gut microbiome, but does commonly co-exist with commensals observed in different disease states.…”

Comparison of Microbial Community and Metabolites in Four Stomach Compartments of Myostatin-Gene-Edited and Non-edited Cattle

“…These findings suggest that mutation of the gene MSTN in monogastric pigs induces changes in intestinal metabolites and some microorganisms. In ruminants, the four stomach compartments—rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum—have different physiological functions ( Xin et al, 2019 ; Chong et al, 2020 ). Food initially flows through the rumen and reticulum, then passes to the omasum, and finally into the abomasum.…”

Gut region induces gastrointestinal microbiota community shift in Ujimqin sheep (Ovis aries): from a multi‐domain perspective

“…In previous studies, gut microbial communities were widely investigated by using faeces materials to represent the composition of multiple gut regions owing to their non‐invasive and repeatable samplings. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that different regions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may harbour distinct microbes (Perea et al ., 2017; Yeoman et al ., 2018; Li et al ., 2019; Chong et al ., 2020) given that the physiochemical conditions (e.g., pH and oxygen availability) can vary widely throughout the gut (Kohl et al ., 2013; Donaldson et al ., 2016). As such, it is of great importance to illuminate the gut ‘island’ biogeography throughout the GI tracts, as the functions of gut microbiota and host–microbe relationships can also exhibit differential characteristics across gut regions (Mowat and Agace, 2014).…”