Effects of Experimental Infection with Lagovirus europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 on the Fecal Microbiota of Rabbits: New Insights into Virus–Host Microbiota Associations
8 affiliations
- 1Laboratory of Infectious Biology, Molecular Biology and Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Szczecin, st. Wąska 13, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland
- 2Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Center, University of Szczecin, st. Wąska 13, 71-415 Szczecin, Poland
- 3Department of Virology and Viral Animal Disease, National Veterinary Research Institute—State Research Institute, st. Wodna 7, 98-220 Zduńska Wola, Poland
- 4National Reference Laboratory for Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD), st. Wodna 7, 98-220 Zduńska Wola, Poland
- 5Doctoral School, University of Szczecin, st. A. Mickiewicz 16, 70-384 Szczecin, Poland
- 6Department of Genetics, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, st. Aleja Piastów 45, 70-311 Szczecin, Poland
- 7Department of Biotechnology and Animal Science, National Ilan University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Shennong Rd., Yilan City 26047, Taiwan
- 8Department of Biology, Parasitology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstanców Wielkopolskich 72, 70-204 Szczecin, Poland
Abstract
Lagovirus europaeus GI.1 (RHDV) and GI.2 (RHDV2), the causative agents of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), are highly virulent pathogens of the European rabbit; however, their impact on the host fecal microbiota remains poorly understood. Previous field studies have suggested an association between the fecal microbiota and RHDV2 epidemiology in wild rabbits, highlighting the need for studies under controlled experimental conditions. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the effects of experimental infection with L. europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 on the fecal microbiota of rabbits. Eighteen rabbits were assigned to three groups: an uninfected control group and two groups experimentally infected with L. europaeus GI.1 or GI.2 (n = 6 per group). Fecal microbiota composition was characterized by high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene using the HiSeq 2500 platform (Illumina). Rabbits infected with either genotype developed clinical signs consistent with RHD. No significant differences in alpha and beta diversity were observed. However, selective taxonomic shifts were detected, particularly in the GI.2 group, in which the relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly higher and that of Bacteroidota significantly lower than in the control group. The abundance of Muribaculaceae was lower in both infected groups, whereas Sporosarcina reached its highest abundance in the GI.2 group. Correlation analysis revealed associations between selected bacterial taxa and clinical parameters. Muribaculaceae abundance was positively correlated with survival time and negatively correlated with lethargy and diarrhea, whereas Sporosarcina showed the opposite pattern, with positive correlations with lethargy and diarrhea and a negative correlation with survival time. Our findings indicate that experimental infection with L. europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 was not associated with a global restructuring of the fecal microbiota but rather with selective changes in the abundance of specific bacterial taxa, some of which were associated with viral genotype and the clinical course of infection. To our knowledge, this is the first controlled experimental study to directly compare the effects of L. europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 infection on the rabbit fecal microbiota. This study extends previous field observations by providing experimental evidence and offers new insights into the associations between L. europaeus infection and the host fecal microbiota during RHD.
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BibTeX
@article{hukowskaszematowicz2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Experimental Infection with Lagovirus europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 on the Fecal Microbiota of Rabbits: New Insights into Virus–Host Microbiota Associations}},
author = {Beata Hukowska-Szematowicz and Andrzej Fitzner and Szymon Mazgaj and Andrzej Dybus and Hanna Kulig and Felix Shih-Hsiang Hsiao and Danuta Kosik-Bogacka and Yi-Hung Li and Yu-Hsiang Yu},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27208963},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/8963},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Experimental Infection with Lagovirus europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 on the Fecal Microbiota of Rabbits: New Insights into Virus–Host Microbiota Associations
AU - Beata Hukowska-Szematowicz
AU - Andrzej Fitzner
AU - Szymon Mazgaj
AU - Andrzej Dybus
AU - Hanna Kulig
AU - Felix Shih-Hsiang Hsiao
AU - Danuta Kosik-Bogacka
AU - Yi-Hung Li
AU - Yu-Hsiang Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27208963
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/8963
AB - Lagovirus europaeus GI.1 (RHDV) and GI.2 (RHDV2), the causative agents of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), are highly virulent pathogens of the European rabbit; however, their impact on the host fecal microbiota remains poorly understood. Previous field studies have suggested an association between the fecal microbiota and RHDV2 epidemiology in wild rabbits, highlighting the need for studies under controlled experimental conditions. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the effects of experimental infection with L. europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 on the fecal microbiota of rabbits. Eighteen rabbits were assigned to three groups: an uninfected control group and two groups experimentally infected with L. europaeus GI.1 or GI.2 (n = 6 per group). Fecal microbiota composition was characterized by high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene using the HiSeq 2500 platform (Illumina). Rabbits infected with either genotype developed clinical signs consistent with RHD. No significant differences in alpha and beta diversity were observed. However, selective taxonomic shifts were detected, particularly in the GI.2 group, in which the relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly higher and that of Bacteroidota significantly lower than in the control group. The abundance of Muribaculaceae was lower in both infected groups, whereas Sporosarcina reached its highest abundance in the GI.2 group. Correlation analysis revealed associations between selected bacterial taxa and clinical parameters. Muribaculaceae abundance was positively correlated with survival time and negatively correlated with lethargy and diarrhea, whereas Sporosarcina showed the opposite pattern, with positive correlations with lethargy and diarrhea and a negative correlation with survival time. Our findings indicate that experimental infection with L. europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 was not associated with a global restructuring of the fecal microbiota but rather with selective changes in the abundance of specific bacterial taxa, some of which were associated with viral genotype and the clinical course of infection. To our knowledge, this is the first controlled experimental study to directly compare the effects of L. europaeus GI.1 and GI.2 infection on the rabbit fecal microbiota. This study extends previous field observations by providing experimental evidence and offers new insights into the associations between L. europaeus infection and the host fecal microbiota during RHD.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -