Fecal microbiota transplantation from warthog to pig confirms the influence of the gut microbiota on African swine fever susceptibility
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Author
Zhang, Jinya
Rodríguez, Fernando
Navas, Maria Jesus
Costa-Hurtado, Mar
Almagro, Vanessa
Bosch-Camós, Laia
López, Elisabeth
Cuadrado, Raul
Correa-Fiz, Florencia
Publication date
2020-10-19ISSN
2045-2322
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of a devastating hemorrhagic disease (ASF) that affects both domestic pigs and wild boars. Conversely, ASFV circulates in a subclinical manner in African wild pigs, including warthogs, the natural reservoir for ASFV. Together with genetic differences, other factors might be involved in the differential susceptibility to ASF observed among Eurasian suids (Sus scrofa) and African warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus). Preliminary evidence obtained in our laboratory and others, seems to confirm the effect that environmental factors might have on ASF infection. Thus, domestic pigs raised in specific pathogen-free (SPF) facilities were extremely susceptible to highly attenuated ASFV strains that were innocuous to genetically identical domestic pigs grown on conventional farms. Since gut microbiota plays important roles in maintaining intestinal homeostasis, regulating immune system maturation and the functionality of the innate/adaptive immune responses, we decided to examine whether warthog fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to domestic pigs affects host susceptibility to ASFV. The present work demonstrates that warthog FMT is not harmful for domestic weaned piglets, while it modifies their gut microbiota; and that FMT from warthogs to pigs confers partial protection against attenuated ASFV strains. Future work is needed to elucidate the protective mechanisms exerted by warthog FMT.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
619 - Veterinary science
Pages
14
Publisher
Nature Research
Is part of
Scientific Reports
Citation
Zhang, Jinya, Fernando Rodríguez, Maria Jesus Navas, Mar Costa-Hurtado, Vanessa Almagro, Laia Bosch-Camós, and Elisabeth López et al. 2020. "Fecal Microbiota Transplantation From Warthog To Pig Confirms The Influence Of The Gut Microbiota On African Swine Fever Susceptibility". Scientific Reports 10 (1). doi:10.1038/s41598-020-74651-3.
Grant agreement number
MINECO/Programa Estatal de I+D+I orientada a los retos de la sociedad/AGL2016-78160-C2-1-R/ES/Estrategias de protección frente a la peste porcina africana: de la investigación básica a la aplicada/
Program
Sanitat Animal
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2811]
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/