Caracterización de la microbiota intestinal de bovinos raza Holstein parasitados por Fasciola spp. en Cundinamarca y Boyacá, Colombia.

Abstract

Alterations in gut microbiota associated with the presence of parasites have been a focus of research attention due to its importance in physiological processes and animal productivity. Within the field of host-parasite relationships, many studies have suggested that helminths can influence microbial composition due to their immunomodulatory effect. Bovine fascioliasis is helminthiasis widely studied in the field of immunology, but with few information in the field of host-helminth interactions, so its impact on microbial communities is unknown. For this reason, this study aims to describe the composition of the gut microbiota of Holstein cattle parasitized by Fasciola in the Colombian Cundiboyacense highlands through a new generation sequencing approach of rRNA-16S gene amplicons for prokaryotes and rRNA. -18S for eukaryotes. Thus, 65 fecal samples of Holstein cattle from animal benefit plants were collected. We found a reduction in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Ascomycota in the samples of bovines infected with the parasite, as well as a decrease in the relative abundance of commensal taxa associated with fermentation and digestion processes. Additionally, we found positive correlations between microorganisms that presented reductions in relative abundances in the samples positive for Fasciola, which was associated with weight loss consistent with the phenotype of a bovine infected by this parasite. Therefore, we concluded that Fasciola infection decreases the ability to digest plant material in bovines as a consequence of the reduction in the abundance of taxa responsible for this function. These findings provide a basis for future research on the development of treatments aimed at modulating these microbial populations involved in infection.