Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.23 Xinning road, Chengxi district, Xining, TN 810008, Qinghai, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 Yuquan road, Shijingshan district, Beijing, TN 100049, China.
BMC Vet Res. 2019 Jul 12;15(1):243. doi: 10.1186/s12917-019-1993-7.
Gastrointestinal microbiota play an important role in animal host immunity, nutrient metabolism, and energy acquisition, and have therefore drawn increasing attentions. This study compared the diversity of the gut microbiota of both wild and captive bharals, which is an ungulate herbivore of caprid from the Qinghai-Tibet plateau.
The sequencing of the V4-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene via high-throughput sequencing technology showed that the dominant bacterial phyla are Firmicutes and Bacteroides both in wild and captive bharals. However, their abundance differed significantly between groups. Firmicutes were significantly higher in wild bharals, while Bacteroides were significantly higher in captive bharals. Different diets are likely a key influencing factor in the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota in bharals.
Changes in diets affect the diversity of gut microbiota and the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria, increasing the risk of diseases outbreak in captive bharals. The results of this study suggest that the structure and function of the gut microbiota should be regulated via dietary intervention, accurate provision of an individualized diet, and optimization of the functional network of gut microbiota and its interaction with the host. This will improve the ex situ protection of wild animals.
胃肠道微生物群在动物宿主免疫、营养代谢和能量获取方面发挥着重要作用，因此引起了越来越多的关注。本研究比较了青藏高原野生和圈养岩羊肠道微生物群的多样性，岩羊是一种来自高原的偶蹄目食草动物。
通过高通量测序技术对 16S rRNA 基因的 V4-V5 区进行测序，结果表明，野生和圈养岩羊的优势细菌门均为厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门。然而，两组之间的丰度存在显著差异。野生岩羊中厚壁菌门显著较高，而圈养岩羊中拟杆菌门显著较高。不同的饮食可能是岩羊肠道微生物多样性和丰度的关键影响因素。
饮食的改变会影响肠道微生物群的多样性和致病菌的相对丰度，增加圈养岩羊疾病爆发的风险。本研究结果表明，通过饮食干预、准确提供个性化饮食以及优化肠道微生物群的功能网络及其与宿主的相互作用，可以调节肠道微生物群的结构和功能。这将改善野生动物的就地保护。
