Alteration of microbiota and immune response of mice gavaged with Klebsiella oxytoca

Abstract

Interactions between the microbiota and immune system play a vital role in the host homeostasis. Increasing studies have investigated environmental perturbations affecting the microbiota. However, studies also are needed to model how an organ-specific immune response affects the microbiota to understand the dynamic changes between the immune system and microbiota. We constructed a murine Klebsiella oxytoca infection model, in which mice were gavaged with K. oxytoca, and the microbiota and immune responses of both the digestive tract and respiratory tract were compared for 1–2 weeks after infection. Metagenomic and cytokine analysis of the samples displayed a delayed colonization of K. oxytoca, but an early immune response in the respiratory tract, as compared with that in the digestive tract, suggested niche-specific characteristics of bacterial colonization and the corresponding immune response. Furthermore, we constructed an interaction map of K. oxytoca in both the digestive tract and respiratory tract that furthers our understanding of the host-microbe biology in K. oxytoca-infected hosts.