Beneficial microbes最新文献

COVID-19 is caused by an airborne virus, SARS-CoV-2. The upper respiratory tract (URT) is, therefore, the first system to endure the attack. Inhabited by an assemblage of microbial communities, a healthy URT wards off the invasion. However, once invaded, it becomes destabilised, which could be crucial to the establishment and progression of the infection. We examined 696 URT samples collected from 285 COVID-19 patients at three time-points throughout their hospital stay and 100 URT samples from 100 healthy controls. We used 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing to evaluate the abundance of various bacterial taxa, α-diversity, and β-diversity of the URT microbiome. Ordinary least squares regression was used to establish associations between the variables, with age, sex, and antibiotics as covariates. The URT microbiome in the COVID-19 patients was distinctively different from that of healthy controls. In COVID-19 patients, the abundance of 16 genera was significantly reduced. A total of 47 genera were specific to patients, whereas only 2 were unique to controls. The URT samples collected at admission differed more from the control than from the samples collected at later stages of treatment. The following four genera originally depleted in the patients grew significantly by the end of treatment: Fusobacterium, Haemophilus, Neisseria, and Stenotrophomonas. Our findings strongly suggest that SARS-CoV-2 caused significant changes in the URT microbiome, including the emergence of numerous atypical taxa. These findings may indicate increased instability of the URT microbiome in COVID-19 patients. In the course of the treatment, the microbial composition of the URT of COVID-19 patients tended toward that of controls. These microbial changes may be interpreted as markers of recovery.

Previous studies have demonstrated that soymilk and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei YIT 9029 (strain Shirota: LcS) each beneficially affect the gut microbiota and defecation habits. To investigate the effects of daily consumption of fermented soymilk containing LcS (FSM), we conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 112 healthy Japanese adults with a low faecal Bifidobacterium count. They consumed 100 ml FSM or placebo (unfermented soymilk base) once daily for 4 weeks. Their gut microbiota was analysed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and faecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and urinary putrefactive products were assessed during the pre- and post-consumption periods. Defecation habits were examined weekly using a subjective questionnaire. In the post-consumption period, living LcS were not detected in two subjects in the FSM group (n = 57) but were detected in one subject in the SM group (n = 55). The FSM group had a significantly higher number and relative abundance of faecal lactobacilli compared with the placebo group. The relative abundance of Bifidobacterium, alpha-diversity of microbiota, and concentrations of acetate and total SCFAs in faeces were significantly increased in the FSM group, although no significant differences were detected between the groups. The number of defecations and defecation days per week significantly increased in both groups. Subgroup analysis of 109 subjects, excluding 3 with inconsistent LcS detection (2 and 1 subjects in the FSM and SM groups, respectively), revealed that the FSM group (n = 55) had significantly greater increases in faecal acetate concentration compared with the SM group (n = 54) and significant upregulation of pathways related to energy production or glucose metabolism in the gut microbiota. These findings suggest that daily FSM consumption improves the gut microbiota and intestinal environment in healthy adults and may help to maintain health and prevent diseases. Registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) clinical trials registry under: UMIN 000035612.

Post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets remains an important cause of economic losses for swine producers. Feed supplementation with probiotics is one of the alternatives to antibiotics used to reduce the impact of such gastrointestinal disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Ligilactobacillus salivarius PS21603 supplementation on the intestinal structure and the gut microbiota composition of weaned piglets. Safety and tolerance of L. salivarius PS21603 were previously evaluated in a 28-days study using 384 weaned piglets (28 ± 2 days old and 7.5 ± 1.5 kg) divided in three treatment groups: T1: Basal diet + L. salivarius PS21603 109 cfu/day, T2: Basal diet + L. salivarius PS21603 107 cfu/day, and T3: Basal diet (control group). For the present study, 16 piglets per treatment group were randomly selected and faecal samples were collected on day 0 (weaning) and 28 of study. At the end of study, three males and three females per treatment were euthanised. Intestinal morphometric values were measured after necropsy. Faecal counts of Escherichia coli were evaluated by culture techniques, and faecal microbiota composition was assessed by high-throughput sequencing. All data were analysed and compared between treatment groups. Supplementation with L. salivarius PS21603 caused an increase in the intestine length of piglets from T1 and in the villous height:crypt ratio of piglets from T2 (P < 0.05) compared to T3 on day 28. According to the Shannon Diversity Index, microbiota diversity increased on day 28 compared to day 0, with no significant differences observed between treatments. The main changes in the relative abundance of bacteria at the phylum, family, and genus levels were observed between different sampling time points. However, piglets from T1 and T2 had lower faecal E. coli counts than T3 on day 28 (P < 0.05). Moreover, supplementation with L. salivarius PS21603 modulated gut microbiota through a more optimal composition, reducing Escherichia and increasing Bifidobacterium relative abundance in piglets from T1 (P < 0.05) from the beginning to the end of the study. Therefore, the strain L. salivarius PS21603 has shown probiotic properties to be used as feed additive in the pig industry, along with good hygiene and farm management practices, for the prevention and/or treatment of post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets.

The objective of the study was to examine the impact of a multi-strain probiotic (MSP) on sleep, physical activity, and body composition changes. We used a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled approach with 70 healthy men and women (31.0 ± 9.5 years, 173.0 ± 10.4 cm, 73.9 ± 13.8 kg, 24.6 ± 3.5 kg/m2) supplemented daily with MSP (4 × 109 live cells Limosilactobacillus fermentum LF16, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus LR06, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP01, and Bifidobacterium longum 04; Probiotical S.p.A., Novara, Italy) or placebo (PLA). In response to supplementation (after 0, 2, 4, and 6 weeks of supplementation) and 3 weeks after stopping supplementation, participants had subjective (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) and objective sleep indicators, body composition, daily physical activity and resting hemodynamics assessed. Subjective sleep quality indicators using the PSQI (sleep latency, sleep disturbance, and global PSQI score) improved ( P < 0.05) at various time points with MSP supplementation. Systolic blood pressure in PLA increased ( P < 0.05) after 6 weeks of supplementation with no change in MSP. No changes ( P > 0.05) in sleep (hours asleep, minutes awake, number of times awake) or physical activity (step count, minutes of sedentary activity, total active minutes) metrics assessed by the wearable device were observed. Additionally, no changes in resting heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, and body composition were discerned. In conclusion, MSP supplementation improved the subjective ability to fall asleep faster and disturbances experienced during sleep, which resulted in improved overall sleep quality as assessed by the PSQI. No differences in other sleep indicators, physical activity, hemodynamics, and body composition were observed during or following MSP supplementation. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05343533.

Metabolic disorders are a major global health problem. Gut microbiota not only affect host metabolism through metabolites, inflammatory processes, and microbial-derived extracellular vesicles, but they also modulate the host microRNA, which may impact the host metabolism. Hence, the underlying mechanisms between gut microbiota-microRNA interaction can potentially be a novel alternative strategy for treating metabolic disorders. This review aims to give an update on the latest evidence and current knowledge of the underlying mechanisms of gut microbiota-miRNA interaction, focusing on metabolic homeostasis. Gut microbiota mainly communicate with host microRNA through lipopolysaccharide and secondary microbial metabolites. These signalling messengers circulate around the metabolic organs and modify gene expression through microRNA interference. Interestingly, while intestinal microRNAs play a vital role in both intestinal barrier and gut microbiota homeostasis, the presence of gut microbiota is also required for the proper functioning of intestinal microRNAs, suggesting a cooperative mechanism in intestinal health. Although the correlations between gut microbiota and microRNA have been observed in both mice and humans, a causal relationship should be confirmed. Moreover, further investigation is needed to provide more evidence of a gut microbiota-microRNA interaction to support the possibility of using that axis as a novel therapeutic target to treat metabolic disorders.

Species diversity of the Bifidobacterium genus was scarcely explored in different rearing systems of poultry. The aim of the study was to isolate intestinal species and compare their physiological and traits for adaptation to the avian intestinal niche. Fourteen strains isolated from chickens of intensive rearing farms and free-range hens, were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing, rep-PCR fingerprinting, and carbohydrates fermentation. Strains belonged to species Bifidobacterium pseudolongum subsp. pseudolongum and subsp. globosum, B. pullorum, B. animalis subsp lactis, B. boum, B. thermacidophilum subsp. thermacidophilum and B. thermophilum. One strain of B. animalis and B. pullorum, and two of B. pseudolongum subsp. pseudolongum were obtained from chicks, while the others were from free-range adult hens. Growth (in MRSc) at the poultry physiological temperature, acids production in caecal water with raffinose (rCW), ex vivo adhesion (%) to avian intestinal epithelial cells (IEC), and auto-aggregation (%) were used for discrimination inter- and intra-specific. Significantly different acetic and lactic acids production and growth temperatures were observed in strains of the same species/subspecies. Remarkable auto-aggregation capability was observed in B. thermacidophilum subsp. thermacidophilum LET 406 (40.2 ± 1.1%), while adhesion property was highlighted in B. pseudolongum subsp. pseudolongum LET 408 (65.30 ± 4.75% in jejunum; 46.05 ± 2.80 in ileum). Scanning Electronic Microscopy of the interaction IEC-LET 408 revealed an irregular bacterial surface exhibiting vesicle-like arrangements and filaments that formed a network among bacteria cells and with the epithelial cells, as possible adaptative response to promote its persistence in the gut. These finds will be valuable for bacterial supplements design intended to intensive rearing.

Exercise induces many health benefits, preventing or treating diseases. On the other hand, the intestine houses trillions of microbes with the ability to influence the normal physiology of the organism. The intestinal microbiota is immensely diverse, varies between individuals, and can fluctuate according to various factors, including physical activity. In this sense, the aim of this systematic review is to search through the recent knowledge, in order to elucidate the roles played by different exercise modalities on modulation of the intestinal microbiota of adults. A literature search was performed in the PubMed, SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. The main inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials involving exercise and microbiota in adults. The initial search identified 1,103 publications of which 13 were finally included. The heterogeneity of the training parameters used in the studies, statistical analyses, and sequencing methods did not allow us to carry out a meta-analysis. However, the results tend to show that modulation of the gut microbiome is related to the type of exercise, the intensity and the time of intervention, where these changes are more significant at the level of specific microbial populations than richness and diversity indices.