Gil-Miranda Ana, Caddey Benjamin, Orellana-Guerrero Daniela, Smith Hanna, Samper Juan C, Gomez Diego E
Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
Vet Sci. 2024 Jul 18;11(7):323. doi: 10.3390/vetsci11070323.
This descriptive cross-sectional study compared the microbiota of the uterus, vagina, clitoral fossa (CF), and perineal skin in healthy maiden mares during estrus. Twelve synchronized, healthy maiden mares (3-4 years old) from one single recipient mare herd were included. Microbial communities were characterized by amplifying the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The uterine and vaginal microbiota had significantly lower richness (Chao-1) than the skin ( < 0.05). The uterine and vagina bacterial composition was similar in presence and abundance and could be differentiated from that of the CF and perineal skin. The microbial composition (Jaccard and Bray-Curtis distances) significantly differed across body-site locations ( < 0.05), which explained approximately 14% and 19% of the variation in microbial composition for Jaccard and Bray-Curtis distances, respectively. Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the dominant taxa in the uterus and vagina, with higher proportions of Proteobacteria in the vaginal samples compared to the uterine samples. Streptococcaceae and Staphylococcaceae were present in high abundance in the uterine and vaginal samples, while Lactobacillaceae were not (<10%). We demonstrate that the uterine and vaginal microbiota of healthy maiden mares during estrus is similar but both distinct from that of the CF and perineal skin.
这项描述性横断面研究比较了处于发情期的健康未成年母马子宫、阴道、阴蒂窝（CF）和会阴皮肤的微生物群。研究纳入了来自同一受体母马群的12匹同步发情的健康未成年母马（3 - 4岁）。使用Illumina MiSeq平台通过扩增16S rRNA基因的V3 - V4区域来表征微生物群落。子宫和阴道微生物群的丰富度（Chao - 1指数）显著低于皮肤（<0.05）。子宫和阴道的细菌组成在种类和丰度上相似，且与阴蒂窝和会阴皮肤的细菌组成不同。不同身体部位的微生物组成（基于Jaccard和Bray - Curtis距离）存在显著差异（<0.05），分别解释了Jaccard距离和Bray - Curtis距离下微生物组成变异的约14%和19%。厚壁菌门、放线菌门、变形菌门和拟杆菌门是子宫和阴道中的主要分类群，与子宫样本相比，阴道样本中变形菌门的比例更高。链球菌科和葡萄球菌科在子宫和阴道样本中大量存在，而乳杆菌科不存在（<10%）。我们证明，处于发情期的健康未成年母马的子宫和阴道微生物群相似，但均与阴蒂窝和会阴皮肤的微生物群不同。
