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cauquil, l.

Publications and source records attributed to cauquil, l..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2024

Genetic selection for residual feed intake impacts the functional redundancy of the gut microbiota in pigs during the growing-finishing period

BackgroundImproving feed efficiency is an unvarying goal in livestock production. The role of gut microbial communities in feed efficiency was investigated in two divergent pig lines selected for their residual feed intake (RFI), which is the difference between the observed feed consumption of an animal and that predicted for its maintenance and production requirements. Hence, RFI is a measure of net feed efficiency. ResultsBy sequencing the 16S rRNA genes from fecal samples, we found that the microbiota of low RFI pigs (LRFI; n=12) was significantly depleted in four operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to Prevotella, Feacalibacterium and Lactobacillus genera by comparison to high RFI pigs (HRFI; n=11). Inferring KEGG orthologs from the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data showed that LRFI pigs have 20% more functional redundancy than HRFI pigs. The inferred orthologs held more discriminative power than the OTU approach, which might be inherently flawed if functionally equivalent OTUs compete for the same niche. ConclusionsGut microbiota of LRFI pigs had different microbial operational taxonomic units and a higher functional redundancy, which were more shared suggesting a role of the gut microbiota in the global feed efficiency according to Tax4Fun but this inference based on 16S data has to be verified in future work.

microbiology↗
bioRxiv2021

Bacterial predation on T4 phages

BackgroundBacterial consumption of viruses has never yet been reported, even though bacteria feed on almost anything. Viruses are omnipresent predators for all organisms, but have no acknowledged active biocontrol. The viral biomass undoubtedly reintegrates the trophic cycles, however the mechanisms of this phase still remain unknown. MethodsHere, we used stable isotope probing with 13C labelled T4 phages to monitor the increase of density of the bacterial DNA concomitant with the decrease of plaque forming units. We used 12C T4 phages as control. ResultsT4 phage disappearance in wastewater sludge was found to occur mainly through predation by Aeromonadacea. Phage consumption also favours significant in situ bacterial growth. Furthermore, an isolated strain of Aeromonas was observed to grow on T4 phages as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Conclusionsbacterial species are capable of consuming bacteriophages in situ, which is likely a widespread and underestimated type of biocontrol.This assay is anticipated as a starting point for harnessing the bacterial potential in limiting the diffusion of harmful viruses within environments such as gut or water.

microbiology↗