The effects of Cryptosporidium infection on gut fungi and enzyme abundance in Sus domesticus

Abstract

Pigs are known to be natural hosts of Cryptosporidiosis , which poses a serious threat to public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Cryptosporidiosis is the major cause of severe diarrhea which causing death in infants. Many researchers suggest that gut fungi have an indispensable function in host metabolism and immunity. However, few studies have been performed to understand how Cryptosporidium infection induces alterations in the intestinal fungal communities of Tibetan pigs. Therefore, fecal samples from Cryptosporidium infected and Healthy Tibetan pigs were examined by internal transcribed spacing (ITS) gene amplification sequencing. Results showed that a total of 2 phyla, 5 classes, 9 orders, 10 family, 13 genera of fungi were detected from both the H (Healthy Tibetan pigs) and INF ( Cryptosporidium infection pigs) groups. The results manifested that proportion and profile of the total fungal population obviously changed under the Cryptosporidium infection, marked by a reduction in the abundance of beneficial fungi, i