Zhao Wenlong, Li Shixiong, Sun Yuechen, Liu Jingpeng, Ma Yixin, Qi Rui
School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China.
Jiayuguan Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, Jiayuguan, Gansu Province, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 Oct 18;15:1489125. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1489125. eCollection 2024.
Marmots are recognized as host animals for plague caused by infection. It is unclear that why plague prevalent in marmot rather than other rodents like pikas in the same habitats. This study aims to analyze the differences of the soil characteristics around marmots and pikas burrows to explore the soils factors impacting on different epidemic intensities of in these two rodents.
Soil samples were collected from within and around marmot and pika burrows, as well as from the nearby areas not inhabited by them and Chinese baseline soil properties as control groups, in the Qilian Mountains of Gansu Province, China. The physicochemical properties and the bacterial 16S rRNA were measured to analyze the characteristics of soils from different groups. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using R studio.
The analysis revealed that marmot habitats exhibited distinct soil characteristics, including lower organic matter and alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen, but higher electrical conductivity and total soluble salts. And soil in marmot areas tended to have higher concentrations of nickel, chromium, and iron, also lower levels of zinc and selenium. Additionally, the alpha diversity of soil microorganisms in marmot habitats was significantly low. Simultaneously, redundancy analysis was conducted, which showed that the low alpha diversity of marmot-soil was influenced by its physicochemical properties. The alpha diversity of the soil was positively correlated with EC, TSS, Na, and Cr, etc., while it was negatively correlated with AHN, OM, Se, Zn, and Fe, etc.
These characteristics in marmot habitats, including low levels of organic matter, alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen, zinc, selenium, and bacterial alpha diversity, as well as high levels of electrical conductivity, total soluble salts, iron, and nickel, played a crucial role in the spread of plague. It was discovered that the unique characteristics of marmot-soils provided essential elements necessary for the survival of , including high levels of Fe and Ca, or facilitated the spread of plague. Thus, the transmission of the plague was facilitated.
旱獭被认为是由感染引起的鼠疫的宿主动物。目前尚不清楚为何鼠疫在旱獭中流行，而不是在同一栖息地的其他啮齿动物如鼠兔中流行。本研究旨在分析旱獭和鼠兔洞穴周围土壤特征的差异，以探讨影响这两种啮齿动物鼠疫流行强度不同的土壤因素。
在中国甘肃省祁连山地区，从旱獭和鼠兔洞穴内部及周围、以及它们未居住的附近区域采集土壤样本，并以中国土壤基线性质作为对照组。测量土壤的理化性质和细菌16S rRNA，以分析不同组土壤的特征。随后，使用R studio对数据进行分析。
分析表明，旱獭栖息地表现出独特的土壤特征，包括较低的有机质和碱解氮，但电导率和总可溶性盐较高。旱獭栖息地的土壤中镍、铬和铁的浓度往往较高，而锌和硒的含量较低。此外，旱獭栖息地土壤微生物的α多样性显著较低。同时进行了冗余分析，结果表明旱獭土壤的低α多样性受其理化性质影响。土壤的α多样性与电导率、总可溶性盐、钠和铬等呈正相关，而与碱解氮、有机质、硒、锌和铁等呈负相关。
旱獭栖息地的这些特征，包括低水平的有机质、碱解氮、锌、硒和细菌α多样性，以及高水平的电导率、总可溶性盐、铁和镍，在鼠疫传播中起关键作用。研究发现，旱獭土壤的独特特征为鼠疫杆菌的生存提供了必要的元素，包括高水平的铁和钙，或促进了鼠疫的传播。因此，促进了鼠疫的传播。
