Khairulmunir Mohamad, Gani Millawati, Karuppannan Kayal Vizi, Mohd-Ridwan Abd Rahman, Md-Zain Badrul Munir
Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor Malaysia.
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), KM 10 Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), KM 10 Jalan Cheras Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
Biodivers Data J. 2023 Sep 5;11:e104757. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e104757. eCollection 2023.
The Malayan tiger () is a critically endangered species native to the Malaysian Peninsula. To imitate wild conditions where tigers do not hunt every day, numerous wildlife sanctuaries do not feed their tigers daily. However, the effects of fasting on the gut microbiota of captive Malayan tigers remains unknown. This study aimed to characterise the gut microbiota of captive Malayan tigers by comparing their microbial communities during fasting versus normal feeding conditions. This study was conducted at the Melaka Zoo, Malaysian Peninsula and involved Malayan tigers fasted every Monday. In total, ten faecal samples of Malayan tiger, two of Bengal tiger (outgroup) and four of lion (outgroup) were collected and analysed for metabarcoding targeting the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region. In total, we determined 14 phyla, 87 families, 167 genera and 53 species of gut microbiome across Malayan tiger samples. The potentially harmful bacterial genera found in this study included , , sensu stricto 1, , , and . The microbiome in the fasting phase had a higher composition and was more diverse than in the feeding phase. The present findings indicate a balanced ratio in the dominant phyla, reflecting a resetting of the imbalanced gut microbiota due to fasting. These findings can help authorities in how to best maintain and improve the husbandry and health of Malayan tigers in captivity and be used for monitoring in ex-situ veterinary care unit.
马来亚虎（）是一种原产于马来西亚半岛的极度濒危物种。为了模拟老虎并非每天都捕猎的野生环境，许多野生动物保护区不会每天给老虎喂食。然而，禁食对圈养马来亚虎肠道微生物群的影响仍然未知。本研究旨在通过比较圈养马来亚虎在禁食和正常喂食条件下的微生物群落，来描述其肠道微生物群的特征。本研究在马来西亚半岛的马六甲动物园进行，涉及每周一禁食的马来亚虎。总共收集了10份马来亚虎的粪便样本、2份孟加拉虎（外群）的粪便样本和4份狮子（外群）的粪便样本，并针对16S rRNA V3 - V4区域进行元条形码分析。我们总共确定了马来亚虎样本中肠道微生物群的14个门、87个科、167个属和53个物种。本研究中发现的潜在有害细菌属包括、、狭义1型、、、和。禁食阶段的微生物群组成更高，且比喂食阶段更多样化。目前的研究结果表明优势门中的比例平衡，反映了禁食导致的肠道微生物群失衡的重置。这些发现可以帮助有关部门了解如何最好地维持和改善圈养马来亚虎的饲养管理和健康状况，并用于异地兽医护理单位的监测。
