Metagenomic analysis of the intestinal microbiome reveals the potential mechanism involved in
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
in treating schistosomiasis japonica in mice
Authors: Chen Hao , Huang Shuaiqin , Zhao Yiming , Sun Ruizheng , Wang Jingyan , Yao Siqi , Huang Jing , Yu Zheng 
Published: March 2024

Schistosomiasis japonica is one of the neglected tropical diseases characterized by chronic hepatic, intestinal granulomatous inflammation and fibrosis, as well as dysbiosis of intestinal microbiome. Previously, the probiotic
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
has been shown to alleviate the pathological injuries in mice infected with
Schistosoma japonicum
by improving the disturbance of the intestinal microbiota. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. In this study, metagenomics sequencing and functional analysis were employed to investigate the differential changes in taxonomic composition and functional genes of the intestinal microbiome in
S. japonicum-
infected mice treated with
B. amyloliquefaciens
. The results revealed that intervention with
B. amyloliquefaciens
altered the taxonomic composition of the intestinal microbiota at the species level in infected mice and significantly increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria. Moreover, the abundance of predicted genes in the intestinal microbiome was also significantly changed, and the abundance of
xfp/xpk
and genes translated to urease was significantly restored. Further analysis showed that
Limosilactobacillus reuteri
was positively correlated with several KEGG Orthology (KO) genes and metabolic reactions, which might play important roles in alleviating the pathological symptoms caused by
S. japonicum
infection, indicating that it has the potential to function as another effective therapeutic agent for schistosomiasis. These data suggested that treatment of murine schistosomiasis japonica by
B. amyloliquefaciens
might be induced by alterations in the taxonomic composition and functional gene of the intestinal microbiome in mice. We hope this study will provide adjuvant strategies and methods for the early prevention and treatment of schistosomiasis japonica.

IMPORTANCE

Targeted interventions of probiotics on gut microbiome were used to explore the mechanism of alleviating schistosomiasis japonica. Through metagenomic analysis, there were significant changes in the composition of gut microbiota in mice infected with
Schistosoma japonicum
and significant increase in the abundance of beneficial bacteria after the intervention of
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
. At the same time, the abundance of functional genes was found to change significantly. The abundance of genes related to urease metabolism and
xfp/xpk
related to D-erythrose 4-phosphate production was significantly restored, highlighting the importance of
Limosilactobacillus reuteri
in the recovery and abundance of predicted genes of the gut microbiome. These results indicated potential regulatory mechanism between the gene function of gut microbiome and host immune response. Our research lays the foundation for elucidating the regulatory mechanism of probiotic intervention in alleviating schistosomiasis japonica, and provides potential adjuvant treatment strategies for early prevention and treatment of schistosomiasis japonica.