Advanced age worsens respiratory function and pulmonary inflammation after burn injury and this correlates with changes in the fecal microbiome in mice.

Cutaneous burn injury in the elderly is associated with poor clinical outcomes and increased pulmonary-related complications. We and others have shown that burn injury triggers a cascade of inflammatory mediators which increase gut permeability and dysbiosis of the fecal microbiota and this is more dramatic in the aged. Since cross-talk between intestinal microbes and the lung, termed the "gut-lung axis," impacts immunity and homeostasis in the airway, we hypothesized that the increased intestinal dysbiosis in age and burn injury may contribute to excessive pulmonary inflammation and poor prognosis after injury. To explore this hypothesis, we used a clinically relevant murine model of burn injury in which young and aged mice are subjected to a 12% total body surface area dorsal scald burn or sham injury. 24 hours after injury, lung function was assessed and lungs and feces were collected for analysis of inflammatory mediators and fecal microbial species. The results show that, when compared to younger mice, burn injury in aged mice triggers a decline in respiratory function and exacerbates pulmonary inflammation. In addition to heightened levels of the neutrophil recruiting chemokine CXCL1, aged mice displayed a profound increase in the pro-inflammatory protein, calprotectin, in the lung after burn injury. Comparison of the fecal microbiome and inflammatory markers in the lung revealed unique, age-dependent, correlation patterns between individual taxa and pulmonary inflammation. Taken together, these findings suggest that the post-burn dysbiosis of the gut flora in aged mice may contribute to the changes in pulmonary inflammatory profiles.

Clinical and Microbial Determinants of Upper Respiratory Colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Native Microbiota in People with HIV-1 and Control Adults.

BACKGROUND: The substantial risk for respiratory and invasive infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) among people with HIV-1 (PWH) begins with asymptomatic colonization. The frequency of Spn colonization among U.S. adults with and without HIV-1 infection is not well-characterized in the conjugate vaccine era. METHODS: We determined Spn colonization frequency by culture and specific lytA gene QPCR and microbiota profile by 16S rRNA gene sequencing in nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) DNA from 138 PWH and 93 control adults and associated clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The frequencies of Spn colonization among PWH and controls did not differ (11.6% vs 8.6%, respectively; p=0.46) using combined results of culture and PCR, independent of vaccination or behavioral risks. PWH showed altered microbiota composition (i.e., beta-diversity. NP: p=0.0028, OP: p=0.0098), decreased alpha-diversity (NP: p=0.024, OP: p=0.0045), and differences in the relative abundance of multiple bacterial taxa. Spn colonization was associated with altered beta-diversity in the NP (p=0.011), but not OP (p=0.21). CONCLUSIONS: Despite widespread conjugate vaccine and antiretroviral use, frequencies of Spn colonization among PWH and controls are currently consistent with those reported in the pre-conjugate era. The persistently increased risk of pneumococcal disease despite ART may relate to behavioral and immunologic variables other than colonization.

Recent alcohol intake impacts microbiota in adult burn patients.

Alcohol use is associated with an increased incidence of negative health outcomes in burn patients due to biological mechanisms that include a dysregulated inflammatory response and increased intestinal permeability. This study used phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in blood, a direct biomarker of recent alcohol use, to investigate associations between a recent history of alcohol use and the fecal microbiota, short chain fatty acids, and inflammatory markers in the first week after a burn injury for nineteen participants. Burn patients were grouped according to PEth levels of low or high and differences in the overall fecal microbial community were observed between these cohorts. Two genera that contributed to the differences and had higher relative abundance in the low PEth burn patient group were Akkermansia, a mucin degrading bacteria that improves intestinal barrier function, and Bacteroides, a potentially anti-inflammatory bacteria. There was no statistically significant difference between levels of short chain fatty acids or intestinal permeability across the two groups. To our knowledge, this study represents the first report to evaluate the effects of burn injury and recent alcohol use on early post burn microbiota dysbiosis, inflammatory response, and levels of short chain fatty acids. Future studies in this field are warranted to better understand the factors associated with negative health outcomes and develop interventional trials.

Gut Microbiota and Other Factors Associated With Increased Regulatory T Cells in Hiv-exposed Uninfected Infants.

HIV-exposed uninfected infants (HEU) have higher infectious morbidity than HIV-unexposed infants (HUU). HEU have multiple immune defects of unknown origin. We hypothesized that HEU have higher regulatory T cells (Treg) than HUU, which may dampen their immune defenses against pathogens. We compared 25 Treg subsets between HEU and HUU and sought the factors that may affect Treg frequencies. At birth, 3 Treg subsets, including CD4 + FOXP3 + and CD4 + FOXP3 + CD25+, had higher frequencies in 123 HEU than 117 HUU and 3 subsets were higher in HUU. At 28 and 62 weeks of life, 5 Treg subsets were higher in HEU, and none were higher in HUU. The frequencies of the discrepant Treg subsets correlated at birth with differential abundances of bacterial taxas in maternal gut microbiome and at subsequent visits in infant gut microbiomes. In vitro, bacterial taxa most abundant in HEU expanded Treg subsets with higher frequencies in HEU, recapitulating the in vivo observations. Other factors that correlated with increased Treg were low maternal CD4 + T cells in HEU at birth and male sex in HUU at 28 weeks. We conclude that maternal and infant gut dysbiosis are central to the Treg increase in HEU and may be targeted by mitigating interventions.

Salmon Food-Specific Compounds and Their Metabolites Increase in Human Plasma and Are Associated with Cardiometabolic Health Indicators Following a Mediterranean-Style Diet Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Nutrimetabolomics allows for the comprehensive analysis of foods and human biospecimens to identify biomarkers of intake and begin to probe their associations with health. Salmon contains hundreds of compounds that may provide cardiometabolic benefits. OBJECTIVES: We used untargeted metabolomics to identify salmon food-specific compounds (FSCs) and their predicted metabolites that were found in plasma after a salmon-containing Mediterranean-style (MED) diet intervention. Associations between changes in salmon FSCs and changes in cardiometabolic health indicators (CHIs) were also explored. METHODS: For this secondary analysis of a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial, 41 participants consumed MED diets with 2 servings of salmon per week for 2 5-wk periods. CHIs were assessed, and fasting plasma was collected pre- and postintervention. Plasma, salmon, and 99 MED foods were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Compounds were characterized as salmon FSCs if detected in all salmon replicates but none of the other foods. Metabolites of salmon FSCs were predicted using machine learning. For salmon FSCs and metabolites found in plasma, linear mixed-effect models were used to assess change from pre- to postintervention and associations with changes in CHIs. RESULTS: Relative to the other 99 MED foods, there were 508 salmon FSCs with 237 unique metabolites. A total of 143 salmon FSCs and 106 metabolites were detected in plasma. Forty-eight salmon FSCs and 30 metabolites increased after the intervention (false discovery rate <0.05). Increases in 2 annotated salmon FSCs and 2 metabolites were associated with improvements in CHIs, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B. CONCLUSIONS: A data-driven nutrimetabolomics strategy identified salmon FSCs and their predicted metabolites that were detectable in plasma and changed after consumption of a salmon-containing MED diet. Findings support this approach for the discovery of compounds in foods that may serve, upon further validation, as biomarkers or act as bioactive components influential to health. The trials supporting this work were registered at NCT02573129 (Mediterranean-style diet intervention) and NCT05500976 (ongoing clinical trial).

Microbiota-dependent indole production stimulates the development of collagen-induced arthritis in mice.

Altered tryptophan catabolism has been identified in inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), but the causal mechanisms linking tryptophan metabolites to disease are unknown. Using the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model, we identified alterations in tryptophan metabolism, and specifically indole, that correlated with disease. We demonstrated that both bacteria and dietary tryptophan were required for disease and that indole supplementation was sufficient to induce disease in their absence. When mice with CIA on a low-tryptophan diet were supplemented with indole, we observed significant increases in serum IL-6, TNF, and IL-1ß; splenic RORγt+CD4+ T cells and ex vivo collagen-stimulated IL-17 production; and a pattern of anti-collagen antibody isotype switching and glycosylation that corresponded with increased complement fixation. IL-23 neutralization reduced disease severity in indole-induced CIA. Finally, exposure of human colonic lymphocytes to indole increased the expression of genes involved in IL-17 signaling and plasma cell activation. Altogether, we propose a mechanism by which intestinal dysbiosis during inflammatory arthritis results in altered tryptophan catabolism, leading to indole stimulation of arthritis development. Blockade of indole generation may present a unique therapeutic pathway for RA and SpA.

Gastroesophageal reflux and PPI exposure alter gut microbiota in very young infants.

Importance: Infants with symptomatic Gastroesophageal reflux are treated with pharmacological therapy that includes proton pump inhibitors (PPI) with clinical improvement. The alterations to gut microbiome profiles in comparison to infants without reflux is not known. Objective: To determine the effect of PPI therapy on gut bacterial richness, diversity, and proportions of specific taxa in infants when compared to infants not exposed to acid suppressive therapy. Design setting and participants: This cohort study was conducted at the Stony Brook Hospital in Stony Brook, NY between February 2016, and June 2019. Infants meeting inclusion criteria were enrolled in a consecutive fashion. Results: A total of 76 Infants were recruited and 60 were enrolled in the study, Twenty nine infants met clinical criteria for reflux and were treated with PPI therapy: median [IQR] gestation: 38.0 weeks [34.7-39.6 weeks]; median [IQR] birthweight: 2.95 Kg [2.2-3.4]; 14 [46.7%] male) and 29 infant were healthy controls median [IQR] gestation: 39.1 weeks [38-40 weeks]; median [IQR] birthweight: 3.3 Kg [2.2-3.4]; 17 [58.6%] male); 58 stool samples from 58 infants were analyzed. There were differences in Shannon diversity between the reflux and control groups. The reflux group that was exposed to PPI therapy had increased relative abundance of a diverse set of genera belonging to the phylum Firmicutes. On the other hand, the control group microbiota was dominated by Bifidobacterium, and a comparatively lower level of enrichment and abundance of microbial taxa was observed in this group of infants. Conclusions and relevance: We observed significant differences in both α- and ß-diversity of the microbiome, when the two groups of infants were compared. The microbiome in the reflux group had more bacterial taxa and the duration of PPIs exposure was clearly associated with the diversity and abundance of gut microbes. These findings suggest that PPI exposure among infants results in early enrichment of the intestinal microbiome.

Microbiota-dependent indole production is required for the development of collagen-induced arthritis.

Altered tryptophan catabolism has been identified in inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA), but the causal mechanisms linking tryptophan metabolites to disease are unknown. Using the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model we identify alterations in tryptophan metabolism, and specifically indole, that correlate with disease. We demonstrate that both bacteria and dietary tryptophan are required for disease, and indole supplementation is sufficient to induce disease in their absence. When mice with CIA on a low-tryptophan diet were supplemented with indole, we observed significant increases in serum IL-6, TNF, and IL-1ß; splenic RORγt+CD4+ T cells and ex vivo collagen-stimulated IL-17 production; and a pattern of anti-collagen antibody isotype switching and glycosylation that corresponded with increased complement fixation. IL-23 neutralization reduced disease severity in indole-induced CIA. Finally, exposure of human colon lymphocytes to indole increased expression of genes involved in IL-17 signaling and plasma cell activation. Altogether, we propose a mechanism by which intestinal dysbiosis during inflammatory arthritis results in altered tryptophan catabolism, leading to indole stimulation of arthritis development. Blockade of indole generation may present a novel therapeutic pathway for RA and SpA.

Population heterogeneity in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium abscessus.

Bacteria use population heterogeneity, the presence of more than one phenotypic variant in a clonal population, to endure diverse environmental challenges - a 'bet-hedging' strategy. Phenotypic variants have been described in many bacteria, but the phenomenon is not well-understood in mycobacteria, including the environmental factors that influence heterogeneity. Here, we describe three reproducible morphological variants in M. smegmatis - smooth, rough, and an intermediate morphotype that predominated under typical laboratory conditions. M. abscessus has two recognized morphotypes, smooth and rough. Interestingly, M. tuberculosis exists in only a rough form. The shift from smooth to rough in both M. smegmatis and M. abscessus was observed over time in extended static culture, however the frequency of the rough morphotype was high in pellicle preparations compared to planktonic culture, suggesting a role for an aggregated microenvironment in the shift to the rough form. Differences in growth rate, biofilm formation, cell wall composition, and drug tolerance were noted among M. smegmatis and M. abscessus variants. Deletion of the global regulator lsr2 shifted the M. smegmatis intermediate morphotype to a smooth form but did not fully phenocopy the naturally generated smooth morphotype, indicating Lsr2 is likely downstream of the initiating regulatory cascade that controls these morphotypes. Rough forms typically correlate with higher invasiveness and worse outcomes during infection and our findings indicate the shift to this rough form is promoted by aggregation. Our findings suggest that mycobacterial population heterogeneity, reflected in colony morphotypes, is a reproducible, programmed phenomenon that plays a role in adaptation to unique environments and this heterogeneity may influence infection progression and response to treatment.

3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol and its metabolite 3,3-dimethylbutyrate ameliorate collagen-induced arthritis independent of choline trimethylamine lyase activity.

Previous studies have identified significant alterations in intestinal carnitine metabolism in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), potentially linking bacterial dysbiosis with autoimmunity. Bacterial trimethylamine (TMA) lyases metabolize dietary carnitine to TMA, which is oxidized in the liver to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO is associated with inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis, whose immunologic processes mirror that of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we investigated the possibility of ameliorating CIA by inhibiting TMA lyase activity using 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB) or fluoromethylcholine (FMC). During CIA, mice were treated with 1% vol/vol DMB, 100mg/kg FMC, or vehicle. DMB-treated mice demonstrated significant (>50%) reduction in arthritis severity compared to FMC and vehicle-treated mice. However, in contrast to FMC, DMB treatment did not reduce cecal TMA nor circulating TMAO concentrations. Using gas chromatography, we confirmed the effect of DMB is independent of TMA lyase inhibition. Further, we identified a novel host-derived metabolite of DMB, 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyric acid (DMBut), which also significantly reduced disease and proinflammatory cytokines in CIA mice. Altogether, our study suggests that DMB the immunomodulatory activity of DMB and/or its metabolites are protective in CIA. Elucidating its target and mechanism of action may provide new directions for RA therapeutic development.

The Microbiome, Epigenome, and Diet in Adults with Obesity during Behavioral Weight Loss.

Obesity has been linked to the gut microbiome, epigenome, and diet, yet these factors have not been studied together during obesity treatment. Our objective was to evaluate associations among gut microbiota (MB), DNA methylation (DNAme), and diet prior to and during a behavioral weight loss intervention. Adults (n = 47, age 40.9 ± 9.7 years, body mass index (BMI) 33.5 ± 4.5 kg/m2, 77% female) with data collected at baseline (BL) and 3 months (3 m) were included. Fecal MB was assessed via 16S sequencing and whole blood DNAme via the Infinium EPIC array. Food group and nutrient intakes and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores were calculated from 7-day diet records. Linear models were used to test for the effect of taxa relative abundance on DNAme and diet cross-sectionally at each time point, adjusting for confounders and a false discovery rate of 5%. Mean weight loss was 6.2 ± 3.9% at 3 m. At BL, one MB taxon, Ruminiclostridium, was associated with DNAme of the genes COL20A1 (r = 0.651, p = 0.029), COL18A1 (r = 0.578, p = 0.044), and NT5E (r = 0.365, p = 0.043). At 3 m, there were 14 unique MB:DNAme associations, such as Akkermansia with DNAme of GUSB (r = -0.585, p = 0.003), CRYL1 (r = -0.419, p = 0.007), C9 (r = -0.439, p = 0.019), and GMDS (r = -0.559, p = 0.046). Among taxa associated with DNAme, no significant relationships were seen with dietary intakes of relevant nutrients, food groups, or HEI scores. Our findings indicate that microbes linked to mucin degradation, short-chain fatty acid production, and body weight are associated with DNAme of phenotypically relevant genes. These relationships offer an initial understanding of the possible routes by which alterations in gut MB may influence metabolism during weight loss.

REMOTE BURN INJURY IN AGED MICE INDUCES COLONIC LYMPHOID AGGREGATE EXPANSION AND DYSBIOSIS OF THE FECAL MICROBIOME WHICH CORRELATES WITH NEUROINFLAMMATION.

ABSTRACT: The Earth's population is aging, and by 2050, one of six people will be 65 years or older. Therefore, proper treatment of injuries that disproportionately impact people of advanced age will be more important. Clinical studies reveal people 65 years or older account for 16.5% of all burn injuries and experience higher morbidity, including neurocognitive decline, and mortality that we and others believe are mediated, in part, by heightened intestinal permeability. Herein, we used our clinically relevant model of scald burn injury in young and aged mice to determine whether age and burn injury cooperate to induce heightened colonic damage, alterations to the fecal microbiome, and whether resultant changes in the microbiome correlate with neuroinflammation. We found that aged, burn-injured mice have an increase in colonic lymphoid aggregates, inflammation, and proinflammatory chemokine expression when compared with young groups and sham-injured aged mice. We then performed fecal microbiota sequencing and found a striking reduction in gut protective bacterial taxa, including Akkermansia , in the aged burn group compared with all other groups. This reduction correlated with an increase in serum fluorescein isothiocyanate-Dextran administered by gavage, indicating heightened intestinal permeability. Furthermore, loss of Akkermansia was highly correlated with increased messenger RNA expression of neuroinflammatory markers in the brain, including chemokine ligand 2, TNF-α, CXC motif ligand 1, and S100 calcium-binding protein A8. Finally, we discovered that postburn alterations in the microbiome correlated with measures of strength in all treatment groups, and those that performed better on the rotarod and hanging wire tests had higher abundance of Akkermansia than those that performed worse. Taken together, these findings indicate that loss of protective bacteria after burn injury in aged mice contributes to alterations in the colon, gut leakiness, neuroinflammation, and strength. Therefore, supplementation of protective bacteria, such as Akkermansia , after burn injury in aged patients may have therapeutic benefit.

Otitis Media in Children with Down Syndrome Is Associated with Shifts in the Nasopharyngeal and Middle Ear Microbiotas.

Background: Otitis media (OM) is defined as middle ear (ME) inflammation that is usually due to infection. Globally, OM is a leading cause of hearing loss and is the most frequently diagnosed disease in young children. For OM, pediatric patients with Down syndrome (DS) demonstrate higher incidence rates, greater severity, and poorer outcomes. However, to date, no studies have investigated the bacterial profiles of children with DS and OM. Method: We aimed to determine if there are differences in composition of bacterial profiles or the relative abundance of individual taxa within the ME and nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiotas of pediatric OM patients with DS (n = 11) compared with those without DS (n = 84). We sequenced the 16S rRNA genes and analyzed the sequence data for diversity indices and relative abundance of individual taxa. Results: Individuals with DS demonstrated increased biodiversity in their ME and NP microbiotas. In children with OM, DS was associated with increased biodiversity and higher relative abundance of specific taxa in the ME. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that dysbioses in the NP of DS children contributes to their increased susceptibility to OM compared with controls. These findings suggest that DS influences regulation of the mucosal microbiota and contributes to OM pathology.

The Gut Microbiota Differ in Exclusively Breastfed and Formula-Fed United States Infants and are Associated with Growth Status.

BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the effects of infant feeding type (exclusive breastfeeding compared with exclusive formula feeding) on the gut microbiota and how it impacts infant growth status is limited. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to compare gut microbiota by feeding type and characterize the associations between gut microbiota and infant growth status. METHODS: Stool samples from healthy, full-term infants (4-5 mo-old) who were either exclusively breastfed (BF) or exclusively formula-fed (FF) in Denver, CO, United States were collected, and fecal 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene-based profiling was conducted. Length and weight were measured at the time of stool collection. Length-for-age z-score, weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ), and weight-for-length z-scores were calculated based on the World Health Organization standards. Associations between gut microbial taxa and anthropometric z-scores were assessed by Spearman's rank correlation test. RESULTS: A total of 115 infants (BF n = 54; FF n = 61) were included in this study. Feeding type (BF compared with FF) was the most significant tested variable on gut microbiota composition (P < 1 × 10-6), followed by mode of delivery and race. Significant differences were observed in α-diversity, ß-diversity, and relative abundances of individual taxa between BF and FF. BF infants had lower α-diversity than FF infants. Abundances of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were greater in the breastfeeding group. FF infants had a higher relative abundance of unclassified Ruminococcaceae (P < 0.001), which was associated with a higher WAZ (P < 0.001) and length-for-age z-score (P < 0.01). Lactobacillus was inversely associated with WAZ (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Feeding type is the main driver of gut microbiota differences in young infants. The gut microbiota differences based on feeding type (exclusive breast- or formula feeding) were associated with observed differences in growth status. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02142647, NCT01693406, and NCT04137445.

Inflammation resolution and specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators in chronic rhinosinusitis.

INTRODUCTION: In chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a complex pathophysiology results from varied pro-inflammatory stimuli but is consistently characterized by classic cellular, molecular, and microbial alterations. Normally, endogenous specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM) actively promote resolution of inflammation through numerous pathways, including those involved in host antimicrobial defense. However, these pathways appear to be disrupted in CRS. AREAS COVERED: This paper describes features of CRS in the context of chronic tissue inflammation, and potential mechanisms by which specialized pro-resolving mediators promote active resolution of tissue inflammation. EXPERT OPINION: Temporal phases of resolution must be tightly regulated to successfully resolve inflammation in CRS while preserving tissue functions such as barrier maintenance and special sensory function. Dysregulation of SPM enzymatic pathways has been recently shown in CRS and is associated with disease phenotypes and microbial colonization patterns. Current research in animal models and in vitro human cell culture, as well as human dietary studies, demonstrate relevant changes in cell signaling with lipid mediator bioavailability. Further clinical research may provide insight into the therapeutic value of this approach in CRS.

Multi-level analysis of the gut-brain axis shows autism spectrum disorder-associated molecular and microbial profiles.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by heterogeneous cognitive, behavioral and communication impairments. Disruption of the gut-brain axis (GBA) has been implicated in ASD although with limited reproducibility across studies. In this study, we developed a Bayesian differential ranking algorithm to identify ASD-associated molecular and taxa profiles across 10 cross-sectional microbiome datasets and 15 other datasets, including dietary patterns, metabolomics, cytokine profiles and human brain gene expression profiles. We found a functional architecture along the GBA that correlates with heterogeneity of ASD phenotypes, and it is characterized by ASD-associated amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid profiles predominantly encoded by microbial species in the genera Prevotella, Bifidobacterium, Desulfovibrio and Bacteroides and correlates with brain gene expression changes, restrictive dietary patterns and pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles. The functional architecture revealed in age-matched and sex-matched cohorts is not present in sibling-matched cohorts. We also show a strong association between temporal changes in microbiome composition and ASD phenotypes. In summary, we propose a framework to leverage multi-omic datasets from well-defined cohorts and investigate how the GBA influences ASD.

Effects of Extended Cage Component Sanitation Interval on the Microenvironment, Health, and Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Washing and sanitizing rodent cage components requires costly equipment, significant personnel effort, and use of natural resources. The benchmark frequency for sanitation of individually ventilated caging (IVC) has traditionally been every 2 wk. In this study, we investigated the effects of extending this interval on the cage microenvironment, basic markers of health, and the gastrointestinal microbiota of rats. We compared our institutional standard of changing the sanitation interval for rat cage lids, box feeders, and enrichment devices from every 4 wk to an interval of 12 wk. The cage bottom and bedding continued to be changed every 2 wk for both groups. We hypothesized that we would find no significant difference between our current practice of 4 wks and continuous use for 12 wk. Our data showed that intracage ammonia levels remained below 5 ppm for most cages in both groups, with the exception of cages that experienced a cage flood. We found no significant difference between groups in bacterial colony forming units (CFU) on cage components. We used 3 novel methods of assessing cleanliness of enrichment devices and found no significant effect of continuous use for 12 wk on the number of CFU. In addition, we found no significant differences between groups for animal weight, routine blood work, or fecal and cecal microbiomes. These data indicate that a sanitation interval of up to 12 wk for components of rat IVC caging has no significant effects on the microenvironment or health of rats. Using the longer interval will improve efficiency, reduce the use of natural resources, and decrease costs while maintaining high-quality animal care.

Aging-Associated Augmentation of Gut Microbiome Virulence Capability Drives Sepsis Severity.

Prior research has focused on host factors as mediators of exaggerated sepsis-associated morbidity and mortality in older adults. This focus on the host, however, has failed to identify therapies that improve sepsis outcomes in the elderly. We hypothesized that the increased susceptibility of the aging population to sepsis is not only a function of the host but also reflects longevity-associated changes in the virulence of gut pathobionts. We utilized two complementary models of gut microbiota-induced experimental sepsis to establish the aged gut microbiome as a key pathophysiologic driver of heightened disease severity. Further murine and human investigations into these polymicrobial bacterial communities demonstrated that age was associated with only subtle shifts in ecological composition but also an overabundance of genomic virulence factors that have functional consequence on host immune evasion. IMPORTANCE Older adults suffer more frequent and worse outcomes from sepsis, a critical illness secondary to infection. The reasons underlying this unique susceptibility are incompletely understood. Prior work in this area has focused on how the immune response changes with age. The current study, however, focuses instead on alterations in the community of bacteria that humans live with within their gut (i.e., the gut microbiome). The central concept of this paper is that the bacteria in our gut evolve along with the host and "age," making them more efficient at causing sepsis.

Detection and identification of fungi in the lower airway of children with and without cystic fibrosis.

Introduction: Airway infection and inflammation lead to the progression of obstructive lung disease in persons with cystic fibrosis (PWCF). However, cystic fibrosis (CF) fungal communities, known drivers of CF pathophysiology, remain poorly understood due to the shortcomings of traditional fungal culture. Our objective was to apply a novel small subunit rRNA gene (SSU-rRNA) sequencing approach to characterize the lower airway mycobiome in children with and without CF. Methods: Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples and relevant clinical data were collected from pediatric PWCF and disease control (DC) subjects. Total fungal load (TFL) was measured using quantitative PCR, and SSU-rRNA sequencing was used for mycobiome characterization. Results were compared across groups, and Morisita-Horn clustering was performed. Results: 161 (84%) of the BALF samples collected had sufficient load for SSU-rRNA sequencing, with amplification being more common in PWCF. BALF from PWCF had increased TFL and increased neutrophilic inflammation compared to DC subjects. PWCF exhibited increased abundance of Aspergillus and Candida, while Malassezia, Cladosporium, and Pleosporales were prevalent in both groups. CF and DC samples showed no clear differences in clustering when compared to each other or to negative controls. SSU-rRNA sequencing was used to profile the mycobiome in pediatric PWCF and DC subjects. Notable differences were observed between the groups, including the abundance of Aspergillus and Candida. Discussion: Fungal DNA detected in the airway could represent a combination of pathogenic fungi and environmental exposure (e.g., dust) to fungus indicative of a common background signature. Next steps will require comparisons to airway bacterial communities.

Bacterial communities in the nasal passage of postviral olfactory dysfunction patients.

KEY POINTS: Bacterial composition is uniform in the sinuses of postviral olfactory dysfunction patients. Significant reduction of genus Corynebacterium in PVOD patients compared to controls.