Differential longitudinal establishment of human fecal bacterial communities in germ-free porcine and murine models

Authors

Nirosh Aluthge, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Wesley A. Tom, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Alison Bartenslager, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Thomas E. Burkey, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Phillip S. Miller, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Kelly D. Heath, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Craig Kreikemeier-Bower, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Hatem Kittana, University of Nebraska—Lincoln
Robert Schmaltz, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Amanda Ramer-Tait, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Samodha Fernando, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Nirosh D. Aluthge http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8775-9383

Alison C. Bartenslager http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0239-0121

Amanda E. Ramer-Tait http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0950-7548

Samodha C. Fernando http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4592-7016

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2020

Citation

COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY (2020) 3:760

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-01477-0

Comments

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,

© The Author(s) 2020

Abstract

The majority of microbiome studies focused on understanding mechanistic relationships between the host and the microbiota have used mice and other rodents as the model of choice. However, the domestic pig is a relevant model that is currently underutilized for human microbiome investigations. In this study, we performed a direct comparison of the engraftment of fecal bacterial communities from human donors between human microbiotaassociated (HMA) piglet and mouse models under identical dietary conditions. Analysis of 16S rRNA genes using amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) revealed that with the exception of early microbiota from infants, the more mature microbiotas tested established better in the HMA piglets compared to HMA mice. Of interest was the greater transplantation success of members belonging to phylum Firmicutes in the HMA piglets compared to the HMA mice. Together, these results provide evidence for the HMA piglet model potentially being more broadly applicable for donors with more mature microbiotas while the HMA mouse model might be more relevant for developing microbiotas such as those of infants. This study also emphasizes the necessity to exercise caution in extrapolating findings from HMA animals to humans, since up to 28% of taxa from some donors failed to colonize either model.

Supplemental figures and list of data supplements included.

Data files (.xlsx) attached to record page