Altered Nasal Microbiota Composition Associated with Development of Polyserositis by Mycoplasma hyorhinis.

Miguel Blanco-Fuertes,Lorenzo Fraile,Florencia Correa-Fiz,Virginia Aragon,Marina Sibila

doi:10.3390/pathogens10050603

Miguel Blanco-Fuertes, Lorenzo Fraile + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10050603

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Abstract

Fibrinous polyserositis in swine farming is a common pathological finding in nursery animals. The differential diagnosis of this finding should include Glaesserella parasuis (aetiological agent of Glässer’s disease) and Mycoplasma hyorhinis, among others. These microorganisms are early colonizers of the upper respiratory tract of piglets. The composition of the nasal microbiota at weaning was shown to constitute a predisposing factor for the development of Glässer’s disease. Here, we unravel the role of the nasal microbiota in the subsequent systemic infection by M. hyorhinis, and the similarities and differences with Glässer’s disease. Nasal samples from farms with recurrent problems with polyserositis associated with M. hyorhinis (MH) or Glässer’s disease (GD) were included in this study, together with healthy control farms (HC). Nasal swabs were taken from piglets in MH farms at weaning, before the onset of the clinical outbreaks, and were submitted to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (V3–V4 region). These sequences were analyzed together with sequences from similar samples previously obtained in GD and HC farms. Animals from farms with disease (MH and GD) had a nasal microbiota with lower diversity than those from the HC farms. However, the composition of the nasal microbiota of the piglets from these disease farms was different, suggesting that divergent microbiota imbalances may predispose the animals to the two systemic infections. We also found variants of the pathogens that were associated with the farms with the corresponding disease, highlighting the importance of studying the microbiome at strain-level resolution.

Highlights

The microbiota is defined as the community of microorganisms found in the surface of a tissue, which represents their usual ecological niche [1]
Nasal samples were obtained from piglets at weaning and the nasal microbiota was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing
We studied the relationship between the nasal microbiota and the later development of the systemic infection by the early colonizers of the respiratory tract, M. hyorhinis and G. parasuis

Summary

Introduction

The microbiota is defined as the community of microorganisms found in the surface of a tissue, which represents their usual ecological niche [1]. Several studies have found an association between the microbiota composition and phenotypic features from the host, such as body weight, health status and disease onset, among others [2]. In particular swine, the gut microbiota has been deeply studied in contrast to other body sites. The porcine intestinal microbiota influences several production parameters like body weight [3] and feed efficiency [4]. To a lesser extent, the nasal microbiota has been associated with the development of diseases [5]. The nasal microbiota has been suggested as a predisposing factor for the development of Glässer’s disease, a systemic infection caused by Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis and characterized by fibrinous polyserositis [6]

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