Hsinchu Zoo, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan.
Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, 183-0054, Japan.
Arch Microbiol. 2021 Nov;203(9):5405-5416. doi: 10.1007/s00203-021-02526-w. Epub 2021 Aug 16.
Understanding the gut microbiota characteristics of endangered species such as the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), especially in their early stages of life, could be essential for improving their management and ex situ conservation strategies. Here, we analyzed the gut microbiota diversity, composition, and function of captive Eurasian otters at different ages using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that: (1) Clostridiaceae was abundant in all age stages; (2) Lactococcus in cubs is thought to predominate for digesting milk; (3) bacteria associated with amino acid metabolism increase with age, while bacteria associated with carbohydrate metabolism decrease with age, which is likely due to decrease in dietary carbohydrate content (e.g., milk) and increase in dietary protein contents (e.g., fishes) with age; and (4) fish-related bacteria were detected in feces of healthy adults and juveniles. Overall, the gut microbiota of captive Eurasian otters was taxonomically and functionally different by age, which is thought to be attributed to the difference in the diet in their life stages. This study provided baseline information regarding the gut microbiota of Eurasian otters for the first time and contributes to improvement in their management in captivity.
了解濒危物种（如欧亚水獭（Lutra lutra））的肠道微生物群特征，尤其是在其生命早期阶段，对于改善其管理和易地保护策略可能至关重要。在这里，我们使用高通量 16S rRNA 基因测序分析了不同年龄阶段圈养欧亚水獭的肠道微生物多样性、组成和功能。我们发现：（1）梭菌科在所有年龄段都很丰富；（2）认为乳球菌在幼崽中占优势，用于消化牛奶；（3）与氨基酸代谢相关的细菌随年龄增长而增加，而与碳水化合物代谢相关的细菌随年龄增长而减少，这可能是由于随年龄增长饮食中碳水化合物含量（如牛奶）减少和蛋白质含量（如鱼类）增加所致；（4）在健康成年和幼崽的粪便中检测到与鱼类相关的细菌。总体而言，圈养欧亚水獭的肠道微生物群在分类和功能上因年龄而异，这被认为是其生命阶段饮食差异所致。本研究首次为欧亚水獭的肠道微生物群提供了基线信息，有助于改善其圈养管理。
