Chen Junmin, Chen Zixian, Xu Bo, Huang Zunxi, Zhang Chengbo
Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China; Key Laboratory of Yunnan for Biomass Energy and Biotechnology of Environment, Kunming 650500, China.
Engineering Research Center of Sustainable Development and Utilization of Biomass Energy, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China; Key Laboratory of Yunnan for Biomass Energy and Biotechnology of Environment, Kunming 650500, China; Key Laboratory of Yunnan Provincial Education Department for Plateau Characteristic Food Enzymes, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China.
Microb Pathog. 2025 Sep;206:107832. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2025.107832. Epub 2025 Jun 24.
Wild Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), which are an endangered species, often suffer from skin diseases during seasonal transitions, which seriously affect their health. Understanding the pathogenesis of such skin diseases is critical for their prevention and treatment. It is known that skin microorganisms are closely related to host skin health.
To compare the microbiotas and microbiomes of diseased and healthy skin of Asian elephants.
DNA was extracted from skin swab samples from diseased and healthy Asian elephants for metagenomic sequencing. Various bioinformatic tools were used to process the raw sequencing data and identify gene sequences for functional annotation and species identification as well as to determine species abundance. Antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors were also identified using DIAMOND.
Staphylococcus was highly enriched in the microbiota of diseased skin, whereas Leuconostoc predominated in that of healthy skin. Moreover, substantial differences existed between the two elephant skin groups in terms of metabolic pathways related to ATP-binding cassette transporters and TCSs and the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and Staphylococcus-associated toxins. The substantial difference in Staphylococcus-related virulence factors was likely due to the significant enrichment of Staphylococcus in the diseased skin samples, suggesting that this bacterial genus is the causative agent of skin diseases in Asian elephants. Additionally, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, which was enriched in the healthy skin samples, has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and other beneficial effects that have promising applications in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of skin diseases.
This study reveals the cause of skin diseases in Asian elephants and provides a theoretical basis for improving the skin health of wild animals and expanding wildlife conservation methods and technologies.
野生亚洲象（印度象）是濒危物种，在季节转换期间常患皮肤病，严重影响其健康。了解此类皮肤病的发病机制对其预防和治疗至关重要。已知皮肤微生物群与宿主皮肤健康密切相关。
比较亚洲象患病皮肤和健康皮肤的微生物群和微生物组。
从患病和健康亚洲象的皮肤拭子样本中提取DNA进行宏基因组测序。使用各种生物信息学工具处理原始测序数据，鉴定用于功能注释和物种鉴定的基因序列，并确定物种丰度。还使用DIAMOND鉴定抗生素抗性基因和毒力因子。
葡萄球菌在患病皮肤的微生物群中高度富集，而明串珠菌在健康皮肤的微生物群中占主导地位。此外，两组大象皮肤在与ATP结合盒转运蛋白和双组分系统相关的代谢途径以及抗生素抗性基因和葡萄球菌相关毒素的丰度方面存在显著差异。与葡萄球菌相关的毒力因子的显著差异可能是由于患病皮肤样本中葡萄球菌的显著富集，这表明该细菌属是亚洲象皮肤病的病原体。此外，在健康皮肤样本中富集的肠系膜明串珠菌具有抗炎、抗菌等有益作用，在皮肤病的预防、诊断和治疗中具有广阔的应用前景。
本研究揭示了亚洲象皮肤病的病因，为改善野生动物皮肤健康、拓展野生动物保护方法和技术提供了理论依据。
