Environmental Management and Conservation Research Unit (eNCORe), Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (Pagoh Campus), Muar, Johor, Malaysia.
Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
J Med Primatol. 2024 Dec;53(6):e12742. doi: 10.1111/jmp.12742.
Colobines are primarily leaf-eating primates, depend on microbiota of gastrointestinal tracts for food digestion. However, the gut microbiota of Malaysia's colobines specifically langurs remains unstudied.
Hence, we aim to analyze the fecal microbiomes of Malaysia's langurs using Presbytis femoralis, Presbytis robinsoni, Trachypithecus obscurus, and Trachypithecus cristatus from various landscapes as models.
We collected samples from all four species across several areas in Peninsular Malaysia and performed 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing using the Illumina sequencing platform.
Presbytis femoralis exhibited the highest bacterial diversity, followed by T. obscurus, T. cristatus, P. robinsoni and the lowest, P. siamensis. Over 11 million operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified across Malaysia's langurs spanning 26 phyla, 180 families, and 329 genera of microbes. The OTUs were dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. There are 11 genera of pathogenic bacteria were identified across all host species. Nine pathogenic bacterial genera inhabit both T. obscurus, indicating poor health due to low bacterial diversity and heightened pathogenicity. In contrast, P. robinsoni with the fewest pathogenic species is deemed the healthiest among Malaysia's langurs.
This study demonstrates that alterations in diet, behavior, and habitat affect bacterial diversity in Malaysia's langurs' gut microbiota. Even though this is the first comprehensive analysis of langur microbiomes in Malaysia, it is important to note the limitations regarding the number of samples, populations sampled, and the geographical origins and landscapes of these populations. Our results suggest that Malaysia's langurs may harbor pathogenic bacteria, potentially posing a risk of transmission to humans.
This highlights the critical need for the conservation and management of Malaysia's langurs, particularly considering their interactions with humans. This data can serve as a foundation for authorities to inform the public about the origins and significance of animal health and the management of zoonotic diseases.
叶猴主要以树叶为食，其消化道内的微生物群落对于食物消化至关重要。然而，马来西亚叶猴的肠道微生物群落，尤其是长尾叶猴，尚未得到研究。
因此，我们旨在使用来自不同景观的长鼻猴、罗氏长尾猴、暗腹雪猴和戴帽叶猴作为模型，分析马来西亚叶猴的粪便微生物组。
我们从马来西亚半岛的多个地区收集了这四个物种的样本，并使用 Illumina 测序平台对 16S 核糖体 RNA 基因扩增子进行测序。
长鼻猴表现出最高的细菌多样性，其次是暗腹雪猴、戴帽叶猴、罗氏长尾猴，而罗氏长尾猴的多样性最低。在马来西亚的叶猴中，共鉴定出超过 1100 万个操作分类单元（OTUs），涵盖 26 个门、180 个科和 329 个属的微生物。OTUs 主要由厚壁菌门、变形菌门和拟杆菌门组成。在所有宿主物种中，共鉴定出 11 个致病性细菌属。有 9 个致病性细菌属同时存在于暗腹雪猴和戴帽叶猴中，这表明由于细菌多样性较低和致病性增强，它们的健康状况较差。相比之下，罗氏长尾猴的致病性物种最少，被认为是马来西亚叶猴中最健康的。
本研究表明，饮食、行为和栖息地的改变会影响马来西亚叶猴肠道微生物群的细菌多样性。尽管这是首次对马来西亚叶猴微生物组进行全面分析，但需要注意样本数量、采样种群以及这些种群的地理来源和景观的局限性。我们的研究结果表明，马来西亚的叶猴可能携带致病性细菌，这可能对人类传播疾病构成威胁。
这凸显了保护和管理马来西亚叶猴的迫切性，特别是考虑到它们与人类的互动。这些数据可以为当局提供信息，使公众了解动物健康的来源和意义，以及人畜共患疾病的管理。
