Fecal microbiota of C57BL/6J mice exposed to chlorinated drinking water

An abundant body of scientific studies and regulatory guidelines substantiates antimicrobial efficacy of freshwater chlorination ensuring drinking water safety in large populations worldwide. In contrast to the purposeful use of chlorination ensuring antimicrobial safety of drinking water, only a limited body of research has addressed the molecular impact of chlorinated drinking water exposure on the gut microbiota. Here, for the first time, we have examined the differential effects of drinking water regimens stratified by chlorination agent [inorganic (HOCl) versus chloramine (TCIC)] on the C57BL/6J murine fecal microbiota. To this end, we exposed C57BL/6J mice to chlorinated drinking water regimens followed by fecal bacterial microbiota analysis at the end of the three-week feeding period employing 16S rRNA sequencing. Given the established complexity of murine and human gastrointestinal microbiota and their role in health and disease, the translational relevance of the chlorination-induced changes documented by us for the first time in the fecal murine microbiota remains to be explored.

海量科学研究与监管指南均证实，淡水氯化消毒具备抗菌效能，可为全球范围内的大规模人群提供饮用水安全保障。与为保障饮用水抗菌安全而主动采用氯化消毒的常规做法不同，目前仅有少量研究探讨了氯化饮用水暴露对肠道微生物群的分子层面影响。本研究首次针对按氯化消毒剂类型[无机消毒剂（次氯酸，HOCl）与氯胺（TCIC）]分层的饮用水干预方案，探究其对C57BL/6J小鼠粪便微生物群的差异化影响。为此，我们将C57BL/6J小鼠暴露于不同氯化饮用水干预方案中，并在为期三周的喂养期结束后，采用16S核糖体RNA测序（16S rRNA sequencing）技术对粪便细菌微生物群进行分析。鉴于小鼠与人类胃肠道微生物群的复杂性已得到证实，且其在机体健康与疾病进程中发挥关键作用，我们首次在小鼠粪便微生物群中记录到氯化消毒诱导的菌群变化，其转化应用价值仍有待进一步探究。