Metabolomic and Metagenomic Correlation Reveals the Network Regulatory Mechanism of Cecal Microbiota Structural Changes Induced by

Background: Aims and Objectives: To investigate the associations among dominant bacterial populations, key functional genes, and altered metabolites in cecal tissues and contents during Materials and Methods: Metagenomic analysis was first performed on cecal contents to identify the dominant bacterial communities, followed by metabolomic analysis of cecal tissues and contents. Correlation analysis was then conducted to evaluate the relationships among microbial communities, functional genes, and differential metabolites. Results: Correlation analysis showed that increased potentially pathogenic genera were generally positively associated with upregulated metabolites and negatively associated with downregulated metabolites, whereas reduced commensal genera showed the opposite trend. Shared KEGG pathways co-enriched by differential metabolites and microbial functional genes were identified, mainly involving amino acid metabolism, transport systems, membrane-associated metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. The metabolites linked to dominant bacterial communities were primarily enriched in pathways such as amino sugar metabolism, sialic acid metabolism, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. These findings reflected complex metabolic reprogramming and interactions between the host and pathogen, especially in cecal tissue repair, immune regulation, and metabolic competition with the pathogen. Conclusion: This study provided valuable insights into parasite-host interactions and laid a foundation for understanding the role of bacterial community-associated metabolites in cecal coccidiosis.