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Comparative analysis and characterization of the gut microbiota of four farmed snakes from southern China.

ABSTRACT: Background:The gut microbiota plays an important role in host immunity and metabolic homeostasis. Although analyses of gut microbiotas have been used to assess host health and foster disease prevention and treatment, no comparative comprehensive study, assessing gut microbiotas among several species of farmed snake, is yet available. In this study, we characterized and compared the gut microbiotas of four species of farmed snakes (Naja atra, Ptyas mucosa, Elaphe carinata, and Deinagkistrodon acutus) using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene in southern China and tested whether there was a relationship between gut microbiotal composition and host species. Results:A total of 629 operational taxonomic units across 22 samples were detected. The five most abundant phyla were Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Actinobacteria, while the five most abundant genera were Bacteroides, Cetobacterium, Clostridium, Plesiomonas, and Paeniclostridium. This was the first report of the dominance of Fusobacteria and Cetobacterium in the snake gut. Our phylogenetic analysis recovered a relatively close relationship between Fusobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Alpha diversity analysis indicated that species richness and diversity were highest in the gut microbiota of D. acutus and lowest in that of E. carinata. Significant differences in alpha diversity were detected among the four farmed snake species. The gut microbiotas of conspecifics were more similar to each other than to those of heterospecifics. Conclusion:This study provides the first comparative study of gut microbiotas among several species of farmed snakes, and provides valuable data for the management of farmed snakes. In farmed snakes, host species affected the species composition and diversity of the gut microbiota.

SUBMITTER: Zhang B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6442672 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Comparative analysis and characterization of the gut microbiota of four farmed snakes from southern China.

Zhang Bing B Ren Jing J Yang Daode D Liu Shuoran S Gong Xinguo X

PeerJ 20190329

<h4>Background</h4>The gut microbiota plays an important role in host immunity and metabolic homeostasis. Although analyses of gut microbiotas have been used to assess host health and foster disease prevention and treatment, no comparative comprehensive study, assessing gut microbiotas among several species of farmed snake, is yet available. In this study, we characterized and compared the gut microbiotas of four species of farmed snakes (<i>Naja atra</i>, <i>Ptyas mucosa</i>, <i>Elaphe carinata ...[more]

PMID: 30956901

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Project description:Despite an increasing appreciation in the importance of host–microbe interactions in ecological and evolutionary processes, information on the gut microbial communities of some marine mammals is still lacking. Moreover, whether diet, environment, or host phylogeny has the greatest impact on microbial community structure is still unknown. To fill part of this knowledge gap, we exploited a natural experiment provided by an aquarium with belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) affiliated with family Monodontidae, Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) and common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) affiliated with family Delphinidae, and Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) affiliated with family Otariidae. Results show significant differences in microbial community composition of whales, dolphins, and fur seals and indicate that host phylogeny (family level) plays the most important role in shaping the microbial communities, rather than food and environment. In general, the gut microbial communities of dolphins had significantly lower diversity compared to that of whales and fur seals. Overall, the gut microbial communities were mainly composed of Firmicutes and Gammaproteobacteria, together with some from Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Epsilonbacteraeota. However, specific bacterial lineages were differentially distributed among the marine mammal groups. For instance, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, and Peptostreptococcaceae were the dominant bacterial lineages in the gut of belugas, while for Cape fur seals, Moraxellaceae and Bacteroidaceae were the main bacterial lineages. Moreover, gut microbial communities in both Pacific white-sided dolphins and common bottlenose dolphins were dominated by a number of pathogenic bacteria, including Clostridium perfringens, Vibrio fluvialis, and Morganella morganii, reflecting the poor health condition of these animals. Although there is a growing recognition of the role microorganisms play in the gut of marine mammals, current knowledge about these microbial communities is still severely lacking. Large-scale research studies should be undertaken to reveal the roles played by the gut microbiota of different marine mammal species.

Dataset Information

Comparative analysis and characterization of the gut microbiota of four farmed snakes from southern China.

Publications

Comparative analysis and characterization of the gut microbiota of four farmed snakes from southern China.

Similar Datasets

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