Exploring interactions between Blastocystis sp., Strongyloides spp. and the gut microbiomes of wild chimpanzees in Senegal.

Exploring interactions between Blastocystis sp., Strongyloides spp. and the gut microbiomes of wild chimpanzees in Senegal. Infect Genet Evol. 2019 Aug 20;:104010 Authors: Renelies-Hamilton J, Noguera-Julian M, Parera M, Paredes R, Pacheco L, Dacal E, Saugar JM, Rubio JM, Poulsen M, Köster PC, Carmena D Abstract BACKGROUND: Gut parasites exert an important influence on the gut microbiome, with many studies focusing on the human gut microbiome. It has, however, undergone severe richness depletion. Hygienic lifestyle, antimicrobial treatments and altered gut homeostasis (e.g., chronic inflammation) reduce gut microbiome richness and also parasite prevalence; which may confound results. Studying species closely related to humans could help overcome this problem by providing insights into the ancestral relationship between humans, their gut microbiome and their gut parasites. Chimpanzees are a particularly promising model as they have similar gut microbiomes to humans and many parasites infect both species. AIMS: We study the interaction between gut microbiome and enteric parasites in chimpanzees. Investigating what novel insights a closely related species can reveal when compared to studies on humans. METHODS: Using eighty-seven faecal samples from wild western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Senegal, we combine 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for gut microbiome characterization PCR detection of parasite taxa (...
Source: Infection, Genetics and Evolution - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Infect Genet Evol Source Type: research