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Published on: December 16, 2021
Chicken intestinal microbiota modulation of resistance to nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus infection
Hai-Chang Yin1, Zhen-Dong Liu2, Wei-Wei Zhang1
1College of Life Science and Agriculture Forestry, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar, 161006, Heilongjiang, China.
Background:
Mammalian intestinal microbiomes are necessary for antagonizing systemic viral infections. However, very few studies have identified whether poultry commensal bacteria play a crucial role in protecting against systemic viral infections. Nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a pathogenic coronavirus that causes high morbidity and multiorgan infection tropism in chickens.
Results:
In this study, we used broad-spectrum oral antibiotics (ABX) to treat specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens to deplete the microbiota before infection with nephropathogenic IBV to analyze the impact of microbiota on IBV infections in vivo. Depletion of the SPF chicken microbiota increases pathogenicity and viral burden following IBV infection. The gnotobiotic chicken infection model further demonstrated that intestinal microbes are resistant to nephropathogenic IBV infection. In addition, ABX-treated chickens showed a severe reduction in macrophage activation, impaired type I IFN production, and IFN-stimulated gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the spleen. Lactobacillus isolated from SPF chickens could restore microbiota-depleted chicken macrophage activation and the IFNAR-dependent type I IFN response to limit IBV infection. Furthermore, exopolysaccharide metabolites of Lactobacillus spp. could induce IFN-β.
Conclusions:
This study revealed the resistance mechanism of SPF chicken intestinal microbiota to nephropathogenic IBV infection, providing new ideas for preventing and controlling nephropathogenic IBV. Video abstract.
