Alterations of Gut Microbiome and Metabolite Profiling in Mice Infected bySchistosoma japonicum

Schistosoma japonicum(S. japonicum) is one of the etiological agents of schistosomiasis, a widespread zoonotic parasitic disease. However, the mechanism of the balanced co-existence between the host immune system andS. japonicumas well as their complex interaction remains unclear. In this study,16SrRNA gene sequencing, combined with metagenomic sequencing approach as well as ultraperformance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolic profiling, was applied to demonstrate changes in the gut microbiome community structure during schistosomiasis progression, the functional interactions between the gut bacteria andS. japonicuminfection in BALB/c mice, and the dynamic metabolite changes of the host. The results showed that both gut microbiome and the metabolites were significantly altered at different time points after the infection. Decrease in richness and diversity as well as differed composition of the gut microbiota was observed in the infected status when compared with the uninfected status. At the phylum level, the gut microbial communities in all samples were dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Deferribacteres, while at the genus level,Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, Bacteroides, Staphylococcus, andAlloprevotellawere the most abundant. After exposure,Roseburia, andRuminococcaceae UCG-014decreased, whileStaphylococcus, Alistipes, andParabacteroidesincreased, which could raise the risk of infections. Furthermore, LEfSe demonstrated several bacterial taxa that could discriminate between each time point ofS. japonicuminfection. Besides that, metagenomic analysis illuminated that the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway and the chemokine signaling pathway were significantly perturbed after the infection. Phosphatidylcholine and colfosceril palmitate in serum as well as xanthurenic acid, naphthalenesulfonic acid, and pimelylcarnitine in urine might be metabolic biomarkers due to their promising diagnostic potential at the early stage of the infection. Alterations of glycerophospholipid and purine metabolism were also discovered in the infection. The present study might provide further understanding of the mechanisms during schistosome infection in aspects of gut microbiome and metabolites, and facilitate the discovery of new targets for early diagnosis and prognostic purposes. Further validations of potential biomarkers in human populations are necessary, and the exploration of interactions amongS. japonicum, gut microbiome, and metabolites is to be deepened in the future.