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ABSTRACT
Background
Mucus, made up primarily of mucin, separates gut epithelial cells and the underlying host tissues from commensal microbiota and pathogens. It’s degradation or loss can expose the mucosal epithelial cells to enteric pathogens and has been associated with susceptibility to rotavirus infection. In this study, we investigated whether elevated levels of mucin-degrading bacteria improved rotavirus vaccine take among South African infants by promoting access of the vaccine strains to the underlying target epithelial cells.
Method
Stool specimens were collected from infants receiving oral rotavirus vaccine at a healthcare clinic, North of Pretoria and divided into stool vaccine shedders (n = 32) and non-vaccine shedders (n = 28). The abundance of mucin-degrading bacteria namely, Akkermansia municiphila and Bacteriodes thetaiotaomicron, and expression of bacterial glycosyl hydrolase 33 (GH33) involved in degradation of mucin, was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).
Result
There were no differences in abundance of both A. municiphila and B. thetaiotaomicron between the rotavirus vaccine shedders and non-shedders, p = 0.38 and 0.28, respectively. However, the expression of GH33 of A. municiphila increased five-fold in vaccine shedders (2∆Ct = 448.28) compared to non-shedders (2∆Ct = 80.45,) while that of B. thetaiotaomicron was consistent between the two study groups (2∆Ct = 4.13 vs 2∆Ct = 4.14).
Conclusion
Expression of mucin-degrading gene of A. municiphila increased five-fold in rotavirus vaccine shedders as compared to non-shedders, suggesting that increased levels of mucin degrading activities by bacteria may be a risk factor for rotavirus infection and improve rotavirus vaccine take.