Pettett Lyndall, Ebrahimie Esmaeil, Chinkangsadarn Teerapol, Mohammadi Dehcheshmeh Manijeh, Trott Darren J, Bird Philip S
School of Veterinary Sciences, Faulty of Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
Genomics Research Platform, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jun 20;15(13):1834. doi: 10.3390/ani15131834.
This study was developed to profile the oral microbiome of free-ranging Queensland koalas and its association with age, gingivitis and periodontitis. Using next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, the microbiota of oral plaque samples from eight koalas across different age groups (joey, juvenile, adult and old) were compared. The findings revealed significant shifts in microbiota composition with age and disease presence. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria were the most dominant phylum, especially in younger koalas. Proteobacteria abundance decreased with age, while Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria and Actinobacteria increased. At the genus level, declined with age. and became more prominent genera in older koalas and those with periodontal disease. The beneficial genus was detected only in the joey, suggesting a potential loss of protective microbes with age. Alpha diversity analysis showed high variability within individuals based on age. Alpha diversity was remarkably lower in younger koalas and increased with periodontal disease. Beta diversity suggested distinct microbiota composition differences between younger (joey and juvenile) and older (adult and old) koalas, although statistical significance was limited by sample size. This is the first detailed characterization of the oral microbiome in Queensland's free-ranging koalas and highlights its association with age and oral health status. Findings may contribute to better understanding of oral disease progression in koalas and support conservation and health management efforts.
本研究旨在剖析野生昆士兰树袋熊的口腔微生物群及其与年龄、牙龈炎和牙周炎的关联。通过对16S rRNA基因进行新一代测序，比较了来自不同年龄组（幼崽、幼年、成年和老年）的八只树袋熊口腔菌斑样本中的微生物群。研究结果显示，微生物群组成随年龄和疾病状态存在显著变化。在门水平上，变形菌门是最主要的门类，尤其是在较年轻的树袋熊中。变形菌门的丰度随年龄下降，而拟杆菌门、梭杆菌门和放线菌门则增加。在属水平上，[此处原文缺失具体属名]随年龄下降。[此处原文缺失具体属名]和[此处原文缺失具体属名]在老年树袋熊和患有牙周疾病的树袋熊中成为更突出的属。有益菌属[此处原文缺失具体属名]仅在幼崽中检测到，表明随着年龄增长可能会失去保护性微生物。α多样性分析显示，个体内部基于年龄存在高度变异性。较年轻的树袋熊的α多样性显著较低，且随牙周疾病增加。β多样性表明，较年轻（幼崽和幼年）和较年长（成年和老年）树袋熊之间存在明显的微生物群组成差异，尽管由于样本量的限制，统计学显著性有限。这是对昆士兰野生树袋熊口腔微生物群的首次详细表征，并突出了其与年龄和口腔健康状况的关联。研究结果可能有助于更好地理解树袋熊口腔疾病的进展，并支持保护和健康管理工作。
