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SFB 852 Nutrition and intestinal microbiota - host interaction in the pig, Individual Project A2: Influence of nutritional factors on the prevalence of viruses, including viruses with zoonotic potential, in faeces of clinically healthy pigs

Project

Food and consumer protection

This project contributes to the research aim 'Food and consumer protection'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Food and consumer protection


Project code: BfR-BIOS-08-1350-008
Contract period: 01.01.2010 - 31.12.2013
Purpose of research: Applied research

The gastrointestinal tract of clinically healthy animals comprises a community of 1013 to 1014 microorganisms playing a significant role in fermentation processes and in the defense against pathogens. Due to the lack of appropriate methods for other microbes, previous analyses of the flora have been mainly focused on bacteria. However, viruses may play a significant role, e.g. by interaction with the gastrointestinal immune system. Bacteriophages may function as regulators of the bacterial colonization of the gut. In addition, some of the viruses present in clinically healthy animals have a zoonotic potential capable of causing human disease. Studies on the influence of nutritional factors on subclinical viral infections are almost completely missing. Our hypothesis is that nutritional factors, such as zinc or the probiotic bacterium Enterococcus (E.) faecium NCIMB 10415, can change the composition of the viral gut flora and modulate the prevalence of viruses in faeces of pigs. In the proposed project, two specific questions should be addressed: (i) determination of the composition of the viral gut flora of pigs before and after supplementation with the nutritional factors and (ii) determination of the prevalence and excretion of zoonotic viruses in faeces of pigs before and after supplementation with the nutritional factors. Novel 'high-throughput sequencing' techniques will be applied to preparations of purified virus particles from the pig intestine tract. For detection of zoonotic viruses, the excretion of hepatitis E virus, encephalomyocarditis virus, astro-, noro-, rota- and sapoviruses will be monitored using highly sensitive and quantitative real-time RT-PCR methods.

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Subjects

Framework programme

BMEL Frameworkprogramme 2008

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