Dynamic alterations of bacterial and fungal microbiome and inflammatory cytokines following SRV-8 infection in cynomolgus monkey

It has been reported that virus infection could disturb the gut microbiome of host. However, the dynamic alterations of gut microbiome following virus infection was scarcely reported. Here, we identified the SRV-8-infected monkeys and classified them into five groups according to the progression of SRV-8 infection. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing demonstrated that the relative and inferred absolute abundance of bacterial genera <i>UCG-002</i>, <i>Agathobacter</i>, <i>Coprococcus</i>, and <i>Holdemanella</i> underwent significant changes at the early stage of SRV-8 infection (SRV-8 provirus formation stage), resulting in altered bacterial functions at the same stage. ITS amplicon sequencing revealed that the fungal microbes showed no significant difference between the wild-type healthy and SRV-8-infected monkeys. Spearman correlation analyses indicated that the intestinal bacteria and fungi interacted closely following SRV-8 infection. The mRNA expression levels of pro- (<i>TNF-α</i>, <i>IFN-γ</i>, <i>IL-1β</i>, and <i>IL-6</i>) and anti-inflammatory (<i>IL-10</i>) cytokine genes were increased significantly in the SRV-8 seropositive monkey groups, revealing the close associations between inflammatory cytokines and immune responses. Overall, our study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding about the dynamic alterations of bacterial and fungal microbes and inflammatory cytokines following SRV-8 infection and paves the way for deciphering the pathobiological mechanisms of SRV-8 infection from the perspective of gut microbiome.