Yan Dingyu, Hu Defu, Li Kaixiang, Li Baocai, Zeng Xiangyan, Chen Jinyan, Li Yimeng, Wronski Torsten
Guangxi Forestry Research Institute, Nanning, China.
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Curr Microbiol. 2021 Mar;78(3):1017-1025. doi: 10.1007/s00284-021-02357-4. Epub 2021 Feb 3.
Pangolins (scaly anteaters, Pholidota) are among those mammals that are most affected by the international, illegal wildlife trade. Recently, wildlife rescue centers in China became dedicated to rehabilitate confiscated pangolins and prepare them for reintroduction to the wild. Chronic stress is thought to be the main reason for a disturbed microbiota community and a higher mortality rate of pangolin in captivity. In this study, we compared the cortisol levels and the fecal microbiome of Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) born and reared in captivity (PCB; n = 7) with those rescued from the wildlife trade (PCT; n = 16). Results show that the level of cortisol in PCT was significantly lower than that observed in PCB. There were also significant differences in the composition of the fecal microflora between the two groups, and the diversity of intestinal microbiota was higher in PCB than in PCT. At the phylum level, the bacteria with significant difference between the two groups included Firmicutes and Bacteroides. At the genus level, bacteria such as Bacteroides, Parabacterides, and Clostridium showed significant differences between the two groups. This study proves that chronic stress has a considerable effect on the diversity and composition of fecal microbiota in Malayan pangolin.
穿山甲（鲮鲤科动物）是受国际非法野生动物贸易影响最为严重的哺乳动物之一。最近，中国的野生动物救助中心致力于对没收的穿山甲进行康复治疗，并为它们放归野外做准备。长期应激被认为是圈养穿山甲微生物群落紊乱和死亡率较高的主要原因。在本研究中，我们比较了圈养出生并长大的马来穿山甲（Manis javanica）（PCB；n = 7）和从野生动物贸易中救助的马来穿山甲（PCT；n = 16）的皮质醇水平和粪便微生物群。结果表明，PCT中的皮质醇水平显著低于PCB中观察到的水平。两组之间的粪便微生物群组成也存在显著差异，PCB中的肠道微生物群多样性高于PCT。在门水平上，两组之间有显著差异的细菌包括厚壁菌门和拟杆菌门。在属水平上，两组之间拟杆菌属、副拟杆菌属和梭菌属等细菌存在显著差异。本研究证明，长期应激对马来穿山甲粪便微生物群的多样性和组成有相当大的影响。
