<i>Vibrio cholerae</i> Gut Colonization of Zebrafish Larvae Induces a Dampened Sensorimotor Response
<b>Background:</b> Cholera is a diarrheal disease prevalent in populations without access to clean water. Cholera is caused by <i>Vibrio cholerae,</i> which colonizes the upper small intestine in humans once ingested. A growing number of studies suggest that the gut microbiom...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Biomedicines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/1/226 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background:</b> Cholera is a diarrheal disease prevalent in populations without access to clean water. Cholera is caused by <i>Vibrio cholerae,</i> which colonizes the upper small intestine in humans once ingested. A growing number of studies suggest that the gut microbiome composition modulates animal behavior. Zebrafish are an established cholera model that can maintain a complex, mature gut microbiome during infection. Larval zebrafish, which have immature gut microbiomes, provide the advantage of high-throughput analyses for established behavioral models. <b>Methods:</b> We identified the effects of <i>V. cholerae</i> O1 El Tor C6706 colonization at 5 days post-fertilization (dpf) on larval zebrafish behavior by tracking startle responses at 10 dpf. We also characterized the larval gut microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. <i>V. cholerae</i>-infected or uninfected control groups were exposed to either an alternating light/dark stimuli or a single-tap stimulus, and average distance and velocity were tracked. <b>Results</b>: While there was no significant difference in the light/dark trial, we report a significant decrease in distance moved for C6706-colonized larvae during the single-tap trial. <b>Conclusion:</b> This suggests that early <i>V. cholerae</i> colonization of the larval gut microbiome has a dampening effect on sensorimotor function, supporting the idea of a link between the gut microbiome and behavior. |
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| ISSN: | 2227-9059 |