Ranaraja Asha, Subhasinghe Iresha, Ahmad Shaik Noor, Banaganapalli Babajan, Popowich Shelly, Parambath Snijesh V, Ayalew Lisanework E, Mandal Rupasri, Wishart David S, Tikoo Suresh, Gomis Susantha
Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, SK, S7N 5B4, Saskatoon, Canada.
Department of Genetic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 27;15(1):31580. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-16873-x.
Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli causes septicemia in broiler chickens leading to high mortality and economic losses. Current diagnostic methods, such as serology and culture, cannot detect infections during early asymptomatic stages. Hence, this study focused on identifying novel serum metabolic biomarkers and pathways as an early detection prediction tool. Ross broiler chicks were challenged with E. coli at 3 or 5 d of age, and blood samples collected at 8 and 24 h following infection. Serum samples were analyzed for metabolite alterations using targeted The Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC) mega metabolomics assay. Data was processed through comprehensive statistical analyses, including univariate, multivariate, and meta-analysis approaches. At 8 h post-infection, top metabolites like adenine, N-acetyl-alanine, N-acetyl-soleucine, N-acetyl-valine, and orotic acid related to nucleotide and amino acid metabolisms were downregulated (p = < 0.05). At 24 h, a distinct metabolic shift emerged with hippuric acid increasing, while adenine showed further depletion, accompanied by decreases in N1-acetylspermidine, N-acetylputrescine, and a modest increase in picolinic acid related to nucleotide, polyamine and immune response pathways (p = < 0.05). Correlation metabolite networks show that at 8 h post-infection, broiler chicken showed enhanced metabolic coordination, while at 24 h, disruptions in polyamine, nucleoside, and fatty acid pathways reflected systemic rewiring. The progressive depletion of adenine at both 8 and 24 h post-infection supports it as a novel metabolite signature for E. coli infection.
禽致病性大肠杆菌可导致肉鸡败血症，造成高死亡率和经济损失。目前的诊断方法，如血清学和培养法，无法在早期无症状阶段检测到感染。因此，本研究着重于识别新的血清代谢生物标志物和代谢途径，作为早期检测预测工具。罗斯肉鸡雏鸡在3日龄或5日龄时用大肠杆菌进行攻毒，并在感染后8小时和24小时采集血样。使用靶向代谢组学创新中心（TMIC）超大规模代谢组学检测法分析血清样本中的代谢物变化。数据通过全面的统计分析进行处理，包括单变量、多变量和荟萃分析方法。感染后8小时，与核苷酸和氨基酸代谢相关的腺嘌呤、N - 乙酰丙氨酸、N - 乙酰异亮氨酸、N - 乙酰缬氨酸和乳清酸等主要代谢物下调（p < 0.05）。在24小时时，出现了明显的代谢转变，马尿酸增加，而腺嘌呤进一步减少，同时与核苷酸、多胺和免疫反应途径相关的N1 - 乙酰亚精胺、N - 乙酰腐胺减少，吡啶甲酸略有增加（p < 0.05）。相关代谢物网络显示，感染后8小时，肉鸡的代谢协调性增强，而在24小时时，多胺、核苷和脂肪酸途径的紊乱反映了系统重编程。感染后8小时和24小时腺嘌呤的逐渐减少支持其作为大肠杆菌感染的一种新的代谢物特征。
