Insights on Gut and Skin Wound Microbiome in Stranded Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise ().

The gut microbiome is a unique marker for cetaceans' health status, and the microbiome composition of their skin wounds can indicate a potential infection from their habitat. Our study provides the first comparative analysis of the microbial communities from gut regions and skin wounds of an individual Indo-Pacific finless porpoise (). Microbial richness increased from the foregut to the hindgut with variation in the composition of microbes. (67.51% ± 5.10%), (22.00% ± 2.60%), and (10.47% ± 5.49%) were the dominant phyla in the gastrointestinal tract, while Proteobacteria (76.11% ± 0.54%), (22.00% ± 2.60%), and (10.13% ± 0.49%) were the dominant phyla in the skin wounds. The genera , , , , , and , considered potential pathogens for mammals, were identified in the gut and skin wounds of the stranded Indo-Pacific finless porpoise. A comparison of the gut microbiome in the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise and other cetaceans revealed a possible species-specific gut microbiome in the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise. There was a significant difference between the skin wound microbiomes in terrestrial and marine mammals, probably due to habitat-specific differences. Our results show potential species specificity in the microbiome structure and a potential threat posed by environmental pathogens to cetaceans.