16S rRNA gene sequencing reveals an altered composition of the gut microbiota in chickens infected with a nephropathogenic infectious bronchitis virus

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a member of the Coronaviridae family, causes serious losses to the poultry industry. Intestinal microbiota play an important role in chicken health and contribute to the defence against colonization by invading pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between the intestinal microbiome and nephropathogenic IBV (NIBV) infection. Initially, chickens were randomly distributed into 2 groups: the normal group (INC) and the infected group (IIBV). The ilea were collected for morphological assessment, and the ileal contents were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The results of the IIBV group analyses showed a significant decrease in the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05), while the goblet cells increased compared to those in the INC group. Furthermore, the microbial diversity in the ilea decreased and overrepresentation of Enterobacteriaceae and underrepresentation of Chloroplast and Clostridia was found in the NIBV-infected chickens. In conclusion, these results showed that the significant separation of the two groups and the characterization of the gut microbiome profiles of the chickens with NIBV infection may provide valuable information and promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of this disease.