Skip Navigation
Skip to contents

Journal of Microbiology : Journal of Microbiology

OPEN ACCESS
SEARCH
Search
Advanced Search
mobile menu button

Articles

Page Path
HOME > J. Microbiol > Volume 57(6); 2019 > Article
Journal Article
Gastrointestinal microbiota alteration induced by Mucor circinelloides in a murine model
Katherine D. Mueller 1, Hao Zhang 1, Christian R. Serrano 1, R. Blake Billmyre 2, Eun Young Huh 1, Philipp Wiemann 3, Nancy P. Keller 3, Yufeng Wang 1, Joseph Heitman 2, Soo Chan Lee 1
Journal of Microbiology 2019;57(6):509-520.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-019-8682-x
Published online: May 27, 2019
1South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (STCEID), Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA, 2Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA, 3Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Corresponding author:  Soo Chan Lee , Tel: ., 
Received: 10 December 2018   • Revised: 10 January 2019   • Accepted: 15 January 2019
prev next
  • 92 Views
  • 0 Download
  • 19 Web of Science
  • 18 Crossref
  • 22 Scopus
Full Article

Abstract

Mucor circinelloides is a pathogenic fungus and etiologic agent of mucormycosis. In 2013, cases of gastrointestinal illness after yogurt consumption were reported to the US FDA, and the producer found that its products were contaminated with Mucor. A previous study found that the Mucor strain isolated from an open contaminated yogurt exhibited virulence in a murine systemic infection model and showed that this strain is capable of surviving passage through the gastrointestinal tract of mice. In this study, we isolated another Mucor strain from an unopened yogurt that is closely related but distinct from the first Mucor strain and subsequently examined if Mucor alters the gut microbiota in a murine host model. DNA extracted from a ten-day course of stool samples was used to analyze the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tracts of mice exposed via ingestion of Mucor spores. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS1 sequences obtained were used to identify taxa of each kingdom. Linear regressions revealed that there are changes in bacterial and fungal abundance in the gastrointestinal tracts of mice which ingested Mucor. Furthermore, we found an increased abundance of the bacterial genus Bacteroides and a decreased abundance of the bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila in the gastrointestinal tracts of exposed mice. Measurements of abundances show shifts in relative levels of multiple bacterial and fungal taxa between mouse groups. These findings suggest that exposure of the gastrointestinal tract to Mucor can alter the microbiota and, more importantly, illustrate an interaction between the intestinal mycobiota and bacteriota. In addition, Mucor was able to induce increased permeability in epithelial cell monolayers in vitro, which might be indicative of unstable intestinal barriers. Understanding how the gut microbiota is shaped is important to understand the basis of potential methods of treatment for gastrointestinal illness. How the gut microbiota changes in response to exposure, even by pathogens not considered to be causative agents of food-borne illness, may be important to how commercial food producers prevent and respond to contamination of products aimed at the public. This study provides evidence that the fungal microbiota, though understudied, may play an important role in diseases of the human gut.

  • Cite this Article
    Cite this Article
    export Copy Download
    Close
    Download Citation
    Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.
    Format:
    • RIS — For EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and most other reference management software
    • BibTeX — For JabRef, BibDesk, and other BibTeX-specific software
    Include:
    • Citation for the content below
    Gastrointestinal microbiota alteration induced by Mucor circinelloides in a murine model
    J. Microbiol. 2019;57(6):509-520.   Published online May 27, 2019
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-019-8682-x
    Close
Related articles
Journal of Microbiology : Journal of Microbiology
© The Microbiological Society of Korea.
TOP