Toxoplasma gondii disrupts intestinal microbiota and host metabolism in a rat model.

ABSTRACT: Toxoplasma gondii infection disrupts the gut microbiota and host systemic metabolism, which plays a key role in the pathophysiology of toxoplasmosis. To investigate these interactions, we conducted metagenomic sequencing and untargeted serum metabolomics on 18 Sprague-Dawley rats across control, acute, and chronic stages of infection. De novo assembly of 148 Gb of high-quality reads produced a comprehensive non-redundant microbial gene catalog comprising over 5.7 million genes. Infection led to a marked reduction in microbial diversity and significant shifts in community structure. Chronic infection, in particular, was characterized by the enrichment of Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus intestinalis, and Limosilactobacillus reuteri, alongside a marked depletion of Akkermansia muciniph

SUBMITTER: Zhao JX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12674529 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature