Changes in the Murine Microbiome and Bacterial Extracellular Vesicle Production in Response to Antibiotic Treatment and Norovirus Infection

Norovirus infection is influenced by the presence of commensal bacteria, and both human and murine norovirus (MNV) bind to these bacteria. These virus–bacterial interactions, as well as MNV infection, promote the increased production of bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs). However, no correlation has been made between specific bacterial groups, their vesicles, and their impact on norovirus infection. The current study evaluated the impact of select bacterial compositions of murine microbiomes using antibiotic (ABX) cocktails on MNV infection and bEV production. The goal of this research was to determine if increases in bEVs following MNV infection in mice were associated with changes in specific bacterial populations. Bacterial taxa were found to be differentially abundant in both ABX-treated and untreated mice, with the greatest change in bacterial taxa seen in mice treated with a broad-spectrum ABX cocktail. Specifically, Lachnospiraeae were found to be differentially abundant between a variety of treatment factors, including MNV infection. Overall, these results demonstrate that MNV infection can alter the abundance of bacterial taxa within the microbiota, as well as their production of extracellular vesicles, and that the use of selective antibiotic treatments can allow the detection of viral impacts on the microbiome that might otherwise be masked.