Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory (NWFL), Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) Peninsular Malaysia, KM 10 Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, 56100, Malaysia.
Mol Biol Rep. 2024 Jun 14;51(1):742. doi: 10.1007/s11033-024-09642-y.
Enrichment activities may influence the microbiomes of captive tigers', affecting their health, digestion, and behavior. Currently, there are few studies that address the impact of enrichment activity on tigers' health. This study aimed to determine the diversity of the gut microbiome in captive Malayan tigers at Zoo Melaka and Night Safari during the environmental enrichment phase using a metabarcoding approach.
This study utilized different enrichment activities which catered for food, sensory, and cognitive enrichment. Eleven fresh fecal samples from captive Malayan tigers at Zoo Melaka and Night Safari were collected under different conditions. All samples were extracted and 16S rRNA V3-V4 region amplicon sequencing was used to characterize the gut microbiome of captive Malayan tigers subjected to various enrichment activities. Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, and Fusobacteriota were the dominant phyla observed in the gut microbiome of captive Malayan tigers during enrichment activities. This study revealed β-diversity significantly varied between normal and enrichment phase, however no significant differences were observed in α-diversity. This study demonstrates that environmental enrichment improves the gut microbiome of Malayan tigers because gut microbes such as Lachnoclostridium, which has anti-inflammatory effects and helps maintain homeostasis, and Romboutsia, which has a probiotic effect on the gut microbiome.
This study provides valuable insights into the effects of enrichment activities on the gut microbiome of captive Malayan tigers, offering guidance for enhancing captive management practices aimed at promoting the health and well-being of Malayan tiger in captivity.
丰富化活动可能会影响圈养虎的微生物组，从而影响它们的健康、消化和行为。目前，很少有研究探讨丰富化活动对老虎健康的影响。本研究旨在通过宏条形码方法确定在环境丰富化阶段，在马六甲动物园和夜间野生动物园的圈养马来亚虎的肠道微生物组的多样性。
本研究利用了不同的丰富化活动，这些活动满足了食物、感官和认知的丰富化需求。从马六甲动物园和夜间野生动物园的圈养马来亚虎身上采集了 11 个新鲜粪便样本，这些样本是在不同的条件下采集的。所有样本均经过提取，并使用 16S rRNA V3-V4 区扩增子测序来描述接受各种丰富化活动的圈养马来亚虎的肠道微生物组。厚壁菌门、放线菌门和梭杆菌门是在丰富化活动期间观察到的圈养马来亚虎肠道微生物组中的主要门。本研究表明，β-多样性在正常和丰富化阶段之间存在显著差异，而α-多样性则没有显著差异。本研究表明，环境丰富化改善了马来亚虎的肠道微生物组，因为肠道微生物，如具有抗炎作用并有助于维持体内平衡的lachnoclostridium，以及对肠道微生物组具有益生菌作用的romboutsia。
本研究为丰富化活动对圈养马来亚虎肠道微生物组的影响提供了有价值的见解，为增强旨在促进圈养马来亚虎健康和福祉的圈养管理实践提供了指导。
