Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China
Brandt’s vole is a common small rodent, and its gut microbiota is critical to host health and immune function. The parasitic fleas commonly found in Brandt’s voles cause an immune response, but their impact on the gut microbiota remains unclear. According to the level of flea infestation, Brandt’s v...
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2025-02-01
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| author | Zhenxu Wang Lu Wang Chenran Guo Zihao Wang Xinchang Lun Haoqiang Ji Meng Shang Xiaoxu Wang Qiyong Liu |
| author_facet | Zhenxu Wang Lu Wang Chenran Guo Zihao Wang Xinchang Lun Haoqiang Ji Meng Shang Xiaoxu Wang Qiyong Liu |
| author_sort | Zhenxu Wang |
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| description | Brandt’s vole is a common small rodent, and its gut microbiota is critical to host health and immune function. The parasitic fleas commonly found in Brandt’s voles cause an immune response, but their impact on the gut microbiota remains unclear. According to the level of flea infestation, Brandt’s voles were divided into the control group, low-infestation group, and high-infestation group. The changes in the microbial community composition, abundance, and diversity of the gut microbiota were evaluated using 16S rRNA sequencing. Flea infestation significantly affected body weight, food intake, and gut microbiota structure. The low-infestation group exhibited the most pronounced changes in weight and food intake, while the high-infestation group showed the least. In the 4th week, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed an increase in alpha diversity and alterations in microbial composition. Beta-diversity analysis indicated significant differences in the intestinal microbiota between the experimental groups and the control group. By the 8th week, these differences had diminished, suggesting that the microbiota had stabilized or recovered over time. Overall, parasitic flea infestation significantly alters the diversity, structure, and characteristic microbial enrichment of the gut microbiota in Brandt’s voles, potentially impacting host metabolism, immunity, and growth. While this study lasted 8 weeks, the long-term health effects of flea infestation may persist. Future research should elucidate the interaction mechanisms between parasites and hosts, define the time frames and mechanisms of these long-term impacts, and provide theoretical support for animal health management and disease control. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-d10df733f42b474386a0845f34976ebb2025-08-20T02:52:48ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-02-0115566910.3390/ani15050669Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in ChinaZhenxu Wang0Lu Wang1Chenran Guo2Zihao Wang3Xinchang Lun4Haoqiang Ji5Meng Shang6Xiaoxu Wang7Qiyong Liu8National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, ChinaBrandt’s vole is a common small rodent, and its gut microbiota is critical to host health and immune function. The parasitic fleas commonly found in Brandt’s voles cause an immune response, but their impact on the gut microbiota remains unclear. According to the level of flea infestation, Brandt’s voles were divided into the control group, low-infestation group, and high-infestation group. The changes in the microbial community composition, abundance, and diversity of the gut microbiota were evaluated using 16S rRNA sequencing. Flea infestation significantly affected body weight, food intake, and gut microbiota structure. The low-infestation group exhibited the most pronounced changes in weight and food intake, while the high-infestation group showed the least. In the 4th week, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed an increase in alpha diversity and alterations in microbial composition. Beta-diversity analysis indicated significant differences in the intestinal microbiota between the experimental groups and the control group. By the 8th week, these differences had diminished, suggesting that the microbiota had stabilized or recovered over time. Overall, parasitic flea infestation significantly alters the diversity, structure, and characteristic microbial enrichment of the gut microbiota in Brandt’s voles, potentially impacting host metabolism, immunity, and growth. While this study lasted 8 weeks, the long-term health effects of flea infestation may persist. Future research should elucidate the interaction mechanisms between parasites and hosts, define the time frames and mechanisms of these long-term impacts, and provide theoretical support for animal health management and disease control.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/5/669parasite–host interactionimmune responsemicrobial diversity16S rRNA sequencingmetabolism and development |
| spellingShingle | Zhenxu Wang Lu Wang Chenran Guo Zihao Wang Xinchang Lun Haoqiang Ji Meng Shang Xiaoxu Wang Qiyong Liu Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China Animals parasite–host interaction immune response microbial diversity 16S rRNA sequencing metabolism and development |
| title | Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China |
| title_full | Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China |
| title_fullStr | Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China |
| title_short | Effects of Different Levels of Flea Infestation on Gut Microbiota of Brandt’s Voles (<i>Lasiopodomys brandtii</i>) in China |
| title_sort | effects of different levels of flea infestation on gut microbiota of brandt s voles i lasiopodomys brandtii i in china |
| topic | parasite–host interaction immune response microbial diversity 16S rRNA sequencing metabolism and development |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/5/669 |
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