Immune protection is dependent on the gut microbiome in a lethal mouse gammaherpesviral infection
Jordan R. Yaron, Sriram Ambadapadi, Liqiang Zhang, Ramani Chavan, Scott A. Tibbetts, Shahar Keinan, Arvind Varsani, Juan Maldonado, Simona Kraberger, Amanda M. Tafoya, Whitney Bullard, Jacquelyn Kilbourne, Alison Stern-Harbutte, Rosa Krajmalnik‐Brown, Barbara H. Munk, Erling O. Koppang, Efrem S. Lim, Alexandra Lucas
Abstract
Abstract Immunopathogenesis in systemic viral infections can induce a septic state with leaky capillary syndrome, disseminated coagulopathy, and high mortality with limited treatment options. Murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) intraperitoneal infection is a gammaherpesvirus model for producing severe vasculitis, colitis and lethal hemorrhagic pneumonia in interferon gamma receptor-deficient (IFNγR −/− ) mice. In prior work, treatment with myxomavirus-derived Serp-1 or a derivative peptide S-7 (G 305 TTASSDTAITLIPR 319 ) induced immune protection, reduced disease severity and improved survival after MHV-68 infection. Here, we investigate the gut bacterial microbiome in MHV-68 infection. Antibiotic suppression markedly accelerated MHV-68 pathology causing pulmonary consolidation and hemorrhage, increased mortality and specific modification of gut microbiota. Serp-1 and S-7 reduced pulmonary pathology and detectable MHV-68 with increased CD3 and CD8 cells. Treatment efficacy was lost after antibiotic treatments with associated specific changes in the gut bacterial microbiota. In summary, transkingdom host-virus-microbiome interactions in gammaherpesvirus infection influences gammaherpesviral infection severity and reduces immune modulating therapeutic efficacy.