SIV-Induced Instability of the Chimpanzee Gut Microbiome

• SIV infections led to high frequencies of disease-associated bacteria within the gut
• SIV infections caused rapid changes in gut microbiota composition within individuals
• Uninfected hosts maintain stable and compositionally stalbe gut microbial communities

SummarySimian immunodeficiency virus of chimpanzees (SIVcpz) is the ancestor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans. Like HIV-1-infected humans, SIVcpz-infected chimpanzees can develop AIDS-like symptoms. Because SIVcpz/HIV-1 may disrupt regulation of the gut microbiome and because it has not been possible to sample individual humans pre- and postinfection, we investigated the influence of infection on gut communities through long-term monitoring of chimpanzees from Gombe National Park, Tanzania. SIVcpz infection accelerated the rate of change in gut microbiota composition within individuals for periods of years after the initial infection and led to gut communities marked by high frequencies of pathogen-containing bacterial genera absent from SIVcpz-negative individuals. Our results indicate that immune function maintains temporally stable gut communities that are lost when individuals become infected with SIVcpz.