Toxoplasma gondii infection disrupts secondary bile acid transformation in feline gut microbiota.

Toxoplasma gondii infection disrupts secondary bile acid transformation capacity in the feline gut microbiota, with significant effects observed in the small intestine.

• Why it matters: Understanding how T. gondii affects gut microbiota functions is crucial because bile acid transformation influences host metabolism and immune regulation, yet this process remains poorly characterized in cats.
• What they did: Researchers constructed a catalog of 2,474 feline gut microbial genomes and integrated serum metabolomic data to assess alterations in bile acid transformation, focusing on gene distribution and serum cholesterol levels.
• The result: Findings showed that infection increased genes encoding BSH and 3α-HSDH in the small intestine and elevated serum cholesterol, indicating that T. gondii disrupts microbial potential for secondary bile acid transformation in felines.