Xia Ruiyang, Chen Yalu, Yi Pengfei, Sun Yawei, Chen Lijing, Ma Xuelian, Zhong Qi, Li Na, Yao Gang
College of Veterinary Medicine, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China.
Animal Disease Control and Prevention Center, Bole 833400, China.
Vet Sci. 2025 Jun 2;12(6):538. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12060538.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) remains a major cause of calf diarrhea with substantial economic impacts on global cattle production. While emerging evidence suggests that the host microbiota may modulate viral infection processes, the specific gut microbial alterations induced by BVDV infection require elucidation. This study investigated gut microbiota composition and functional changes in BVDV-infected cows through 16S rRNA sequencing. Following the epidemiological screening of a large Angus cattle herd using RT-PCR, we identified four persistently infected (PI) animals and four BVDV-negative controls. Fecal analysis revealed Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes as dominant phyla in both groups. A significant increase in the genus was observed in PI cows ( < 0.05), with LEfSe analysis identifying as a BVDV-associated biomarker. The PI group exhibited reduced alpha diversity (Faith's PD index, < 0.05) and elevated histidine metabolism pathway abundance compared to controls ( < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that persistent BVDV infection induces structural and functional modifications in the bovine gut microbiota, particularly through the enrichment of specific bacterial taxa and altered metabolic potential. The results provide new insights into virus-microbiota interactions, establishing a foundation for understanding how BVDV infection may influence host physiology through microbial community changes.
牛病毒性腹泻病毒（BVDV）仍然是导致犊牛腹泻的主要原因，对全球养牛业造成重大经济影响。虽然新出现的证据表明宿主微生物群可能调节病毒感染过程，但BVDV感染引起的特定肠道微生物变化仍需阐明。本研究通过16S rRNA测序调查了BVDV感染奶牛的肠道微生物群组成和功能变化。在用RT-PCR对一大群安格斯牛进行流行病学筛查后，我们确定了四头持续感染（PI）动物和四个BVDV阴性对照。粪便分析显示，两组中厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门都是优势菌门。在PI奶牛中观察到该属显著增加（<0.05），LEfSe分析确定其为与BVDV相关的生物标志物。与对照组相比，PI组的α多样性降低（Faith's PD指数，<0.05），组氨酸代谢途径丰度升高（<0.05）。这些发现表明，持续的BVDV感染会诱导牛肠道微生物群的结构和功能改变，特别是通过特定细菌类群的富集和代谢潜力的改变。研究结果为病毒-微生物群相互作用提供了新的见解，为理解BVDV感染如何通过微生物群落变化影响宿主生理奠定了基础。
