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Moraïs S, Winkler S, Zorea A, Levin L, Nagies FSP, Kapust N, Lamed E, Artan-Furman A, Bolam DN, Yadav MP, Bayer EA, Martin WF, Mizrahi I. Cryptic diversity of cellulose-degrading gut bacteria in industrialized humans. Science 2024; 383:eadj9223. [PMID: 38484069 PMCID: PMC7615765 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj9223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Humans, like all mammals, depend on the gut microbiome for digestion of cellulose, the main component of plant fiber. However, evidence for cellulose fermentation in the human gut is scarce. We have identified ruminococcal species in the gut microbiota of human populations that assemble functional multienzymatic cellulosome structures capable of degrading plant cell wall polysaccharides. One of these species, which is strongly associated with humans, likely originated in the ruminant gut and was subsequently transferred to the human gut, potentially during domestication where it underwent diversification and diet-related adaptation through the acquisition of genes from other gut microbes. Collectively, these species are abundant and widespread among ancient humans, hunter-gatherers, and rural populations but are rare in populations from industrialized societies thus indicating potential disappearance in response to the westernized lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Moraïs
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Sarah Winkler
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Alvah Zorea
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Liron Levin
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, llse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Falk S. P. Nagies
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Nils Kapust
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Eva Lamed
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001 Israel
| | - Avital Artan-Furman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001 Israel
| | - David N. Bolam
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Madhav P. Yadav
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, 600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038, USA
| | - Edward A. Bayer
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001 Israel
| | - William F. Martin
- Department of Biology, Institute for Molecular Evolution, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Itzhak Mizrahi
- National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 84105, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
- The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
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2
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Malukiewicz J, D'arc M, Dias CA, Cartwright RA, Grativol AD, Moreira SB, Souza AR, Tavares MCH, Pissinatti A, Ruiz-Miranda CR, Santos AFA. Bifidobacteria define gut microbiome profiles of golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) and marmoset (Callithrix sp.) metagenomic shotgun pools. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15679. [PMID: 37735195 PMCID: PMC10514281 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42059-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Gut microbiome disruptions may lead to adverse effects on wildlife fitness and viability, thus maintaining host microbiota biodiversity needs to become an integral part of wildlife conservation. The highly-endangered callitrichid golden lion tamarin (GLT-Leontopithecus rosalia) is a rare conservation success, but allochthonous callitrichid marmosets (Callithrix) serve as principle ecological GLT threats. However, incorporation of microbiome approaches to GLT conservation is impeded by limited gut microbiome studies of Brazilian primates. Here, we carried out analysis of gut metagenomic pools from 114 individuals of wild and captive GLTs and marmosets. More specifically, we analyzed the bacterial component of ultra filtered samples originally collected as part of a virome profiling study. The major findings of this study are consistent with previous studies in showing that Bifidobacterium, a bacterial species important for the metabolism of tree gums consumed by callitrichids, is an important component of the callitrichid gut microbiome - although GTLs and marmosets were enriched for different species of Bifidobacterium. Additionally, the composition of GLT and marmoset gut microbiota is sensitive to host environmental factors. Overall, our data expand baseline gut microbiome data for callitrichids to allow for the development of new tools to improve their management and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Malukiewicz
- Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, 37077, Germany.
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, 05403-000, Brazil.
| | - Mirela D'arc
- Laboratório de Diversidade e Doenças Virais, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Cecilia A Dias
- Centro de Primatologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Reed A Cartwright
- School of Life Sciences and the Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
| | | | - Silvia Bahadian Moreira
- Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Estadual do Ambiente, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Alcides Pissinatti
- Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Estadual do Ambiente, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos R Ruiz-Miranda
- Laboratorio das Ciencias Ambientais, Centro de Biociencias e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013-602, Brazil
| | - André F A Santos
- Laboratório de Diversidade e Doenças Virais, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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3
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Microbial rewilding in the gut microbiomes of captive ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in Madagascar. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22388. [PMID: 36575246 PMCID: PMC9794702 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26861-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial rewilding, whereby exposure to naturalistic environments can modulate or augment gut microbiomes and improve host-microbe symbiosis, is being harnessed as an innovative approach to human health, one that may also have significant value to animal care and conservation. To test for microbial rewilding in animal microbiomes, we used a unique population of wild-born ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) that were initially held as illegal pets in unnatural settings and, subsequently, relocated to a rescue center in Madagascar where they live in naturalistic environments. Using amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing of lemur and environmental microbiomes, we found multiple lines of evidence for microbial rewilding in lemurs that were transitioned from unnatural to naturalistic environments: A lemur's duration of exposure to naturalistic settings significantly correlated with (a) increased compositional similarly to the gut communities of wild lemurs, (b) decreased proportions of antibiotic resistance genes that were likely acquired via human contact during pethood, and (c) greater covariation with soil microbiomes from natural habitats. Beyond the inherent psychosocial value of naturalistic environments, we find that actions, such as providing appropriate diets, minimizing contact with humans, and increasing exposure to natural environmental consortia, may assist in maximizing host-microbe symbiosis in animals under human care.
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Greene LK, Andriambeloson JB, Blanco MB, Ehmke EE. Forest access restores foraging and ranging behavior in captive sifakas. Zoo Biol 2022; 42:209-222. [PMID: 36251585 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Captive wildlife benefit from ecologically informed management strategies that promote natural behaviors. The Duke Lemur Center has pioneered husbandry programs rooted in species' ecology for a diversity of lemurs, including housing social groups in multiacre forest enclosures. We systematically document the foraging and ranging patterns of Coquerel's sifakas (Propithecus coquereli) living in these forest enclosures. Coquerel's sifakas are seasonal frugo-folivores that exhibit striking feeding flexibility in the wild. They are also one of the few members of the Indriidae family to persist in captivity. During all-day follows in the spring and summer of 2 consecutive years, we tracked the behavior of 14 sifakas in six forest enclosures. The sifakas' ranging and foraging patterns reflected those of wild sifakas in western Madagascar: On average, DLC sifakas occupied 3-day home ranges of 1.2 ha, traveled 473 m/day, and spent 26% of their time foraging for wild foodstuffs. The sifakas foraged most for young and mature leaves, fruits, nuts, and flowers from 39 plant species, especially red maple (Acer rubrum), tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), grapevine (Vitis rotundifolia), hickory (Carya spp.), and white oak (Quercus alba). Foraging patterns varied across seasons, enclosure areas, and groups, potentially reflecting differences in phenology, microhabitats, and individual preferences. While demonstrating that captive-bred primates express wild-like behaviors under ecologically relevant conditions, our results underscore the feeding flexibility of the Coquerel's sifaka. Captive wildlife exhibiting the range of species-specific behaviors are key resources for ecological research and might be best suited for future reintroductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia K Greene
- The Duke Lemur Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Marina B Blanco
- The Duke Lemur Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Erin E Ehmke
- The Duke Lemur Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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5
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Greene LK, Andriambeloson JB, Rasoanaivo HA, Yoder AD, Blanco MB. Variation in gut microbiome structure across the annual hibernation cycle in a wild primate. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6604834. [PMID: 35679092 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome can mediate host metabolism, including facilitating energy-saving strategies like hibernation. The dwarf lemurs of Madagascar (Cheirogaleus spp.) are the only obligate hibernators among primates. They also hibernate in the subtropics, and unlike temperate hibernators, fatten by converting fruit sugars to lipid deposits, torpor at relatively warm temperatures, and forage for a generalized diet after emergence. Despite these ecological differences, we might expect hibernation to shape the gut microbiome in similar ways across mammals. We, therefore, compare gut microbiome profiles, determined by amplicon sequencing of rectal swabs, in wild furry-eared dwarf lemurs (C. crossleyi) during fattening, hibernation, and after emergence. The dwarf lemurs exhibited reduced gut microbial diversity during fattening, intermediate diversity and increased community homogenization during hibernation, and greatest diversity after emergence. The Mycoplasma genus was enriched during fattening, whereas the Aerococcaceae and Actinomycetaceae families, and not Akkermansia, bloomed during hibernation. As expected, the dwarf lemurs showed seasonal reconfigurations of the gut microbiome; however, the patterns of microbial diversity diverged from temperate hibernators, and better resembled the shifts associated with dietary fruits and sugars in primates and model organisms. Our results thus highlight the potential for dwarf lemurs to probe microbiome-mediated metabolism in primates under contrasting conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia K Greene
- The Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705, United States.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Jean-Basile Andriambeloson
- Department of Zoology and Animal Biodiversity, Faculty of Science, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Hoby A Rasoanaivo
- Department of Science and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Anne D Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - Marina B Blanco
- The Duke Lemur Center, 3705 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705, United States.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, United States
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de Jonge N, Carlsen B, Christensen MH, Pertoldi C, Nielsen JL. The Gut Microbiome of 54 Mammalian Species. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:886252. [PMID: 35783446 PMCID: PMC9246093 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.886252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome plays a critical role in many aspects of host life, and the microbial community composition is heavily influenced by the prevailing conditions in the gut environment. Community composition has been suggested to have large implications for conservation efforts, and gut health has become of interest for optimizing animal care in captivity. In this study, we explore the gut microbiome of a wide range of animals in the context of conservation biology. The composition of the gut microbial community of 54 mammalian animal species was investigated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The composition of the gut microbiota clearly reflects diet and the structure of the gastrointestinal system, and it is to a certain degree more similar between closely related animals. Specific clusters of taxa were observed across animals of the same species, diet, and gut morphology. The microbiota retained regardless of captivity status is hypothesized to cover important symbiotic relationships with the host, while the remaining part reflects the artificial living conditions and can therefore be used as a future tool for conservation biologists. For five animal species (giraffes, horses, baboons, elephants, and zebras), it was possible to compare the microbiota of wild and captive individuals. Differences were observed in the proportion of microbiota detected between wild and captive specimens of the same animal species. We propose that the gut microbiota harbours important species, which can potentially serve as indicators for the well-being of the animal and the effect of living in captivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadieh de Jonge
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Benjamin Carlsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | | | - Cino Pertoldi
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Aalborg Zoo, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Jeppe Lund Nielsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Jeppe Lund Nielsen
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7
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Bornbusch SL, Greene LK, Rahobilalaina S, Calkins S, Rothman RS, Clarke TA, LaFleur M, Drea CM. Gut microbiota of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) vary across natural and captive populations and correlate with environmental microbiota. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:29. [PMID: 35484581 PMCID: PMC9052671 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00176-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inter-population variation in host-associated microbiota reflects differences in the hosts' environments, but this characterization is typically based on studies comparing few populations. The diversity of natural habitats and captivity conditions occupied by any given host species has not been captured in these comparisons. Moreover, intraspecific variation in gut microbiota, generally attributed to diet, may also stem from differential acquisition of environmental microbes-an understudied mechanism by which host microbiomes are directly shaped by environmental microbes. To more comprehensively characterize gut microbiota in an ecologically flexible host, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta; n = 209), while also investigating the role of environmental acquisition, we used 16S rRNA sequencing of lemur gut and soil microbiota sampled from up to 13 settings, eight in the wilderness of Madagascar and five in captivity in Madagascar or the U.S. Based on matched fecal and soil samples, we used microbial source tracking to examine covariation between the two types of consortia. RESULTS The diversity of lemur gut microbes varied markedly within and between settings. Microbial diversity was not consistently greater in wild than in captive lemurs, indicating that this metric is not necessarily an indicator of host habitat or environmental condition. Variation in microbial composition was inconsistent both with a single, representative gut community for wild conspecifics and with a universal 'signal of captivity' that homogenizes the gut consortia of captive animals. Despite the similar, commercial diets of captive lemurs on both continents, lemur gut microbiomes within Madagascar were compositionally most similar, suggesting that non-dietary factors govern some of the variability. In particular, soil microbial communities varied across geographic locations, with the few samples from different continents being the most distinct, and there was significant and context-specific covariation between gut and soil microbiota. CONCLUSIONS As one of the broadest, single-species investigations of primate microbiota, our study highlights that gut consortia are sensitive to multiple scales of environmental differences. This finding begs a reevaluation of the simple 'captive vs. wild' dichotomy. Beyond the important implications for animal care, health, and conservation, our finding that environmental acquisition may mediate aspects of host-associated consortia further expands the framework for how host-associated and environmental microbes interact across different microbial landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally L. Bornbusch
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
| | | | | | - Samantha Calkins
- Department of Psychology, Program in Animal Behavior and Conservation, Hunter College, New York, NY USA
| | - Ryan S. Rothman
- Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY USA
| | - Tara A. Clarke
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Marni LaFleur
- Department of Anthropology, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Christine M. Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC USA
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The gut microbiome of exudivorous marmosets in the wild and captivity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5049. [PMID: 35322053 PMCID: PMC8942988 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08797-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian captive dietary specialists like folivores are prone to gastrointestinal distress and primate dietary specialists suffer the greatest gut microbiome diversity losses in captivity compared to the wild. Marmosets represent another group of dietary specialists, exudivores that eat plant exudates, but whose microbiome remains relatively less studied. The common occurrence of gastrointestinal distress in captive marmosets prompted us to study the Callithrix gut microbiome composition and predictive function through bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA V4 region sequencing. We sampled 59 wild and captive Callithrix across four species and their hybrids. Host environment had a stronger effect on the gut microbiome than host taxon. Wild Callithrix gut microbiomes were enriched for Bifidobacterium, which process host-indigestible carbohydrates. Captive marmoset guts were enriched for Enterobacteriaceae, a family containing pathogenic bacteria. While gut microbiome function was similar across marmosets, Enterobacteriaceae seem to carry out most functional activities in captive host guts. More diverse bacterial taxa seem to perform gut functions in wild marmosets, with Bifidobacterium being important for carbohydrate metabolism. Captive marmosets showed gut microbiome composition aspects seen in human gastrointestinal diseases. Thus, captivity may perturb the exudivore gut microbiome, which raises implications for captive exudivore welfare and calls for husbandry modifications.
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Greene LK, Rambeloson E, Rasoanaivo HA, Foss ED, Yoder AD, Drea CM, Blanco MB. Gut Microbial Diversity and Ecological Specialization in Four Sympatric Lemur Species Under Lean Conditions. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00257-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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10
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Bornbusch SL, Harris RL, Grebe NM, Roche K, Dimac-Stohl K, Drea CM. Antibiotics and fecal transfaunation differentially affect microbiota recovery, associations, and antibiotic resistance in lemur guts. Anim Microbiome 2021; 3:65. [PMID: 34598739 PMCID: PMC8485508 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-021-00126-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibiotics alter the diversity, structure, and dynamics of host-associated microbial consortia, including via development of antibiotic resistance; however, patterns of recovery from microbial imbalances and methods to mitigate associated negative effects remain poorly understood, particularly outside of human-clinical and model-rodent studies that focus on outcome over process. To improve conceptual understanding of host-microbe symbiosis in more naturalistic contexts, we applied an ecological framework to a non-traditional, strepsirrhine primate model via long-term, multi-faceted study of microbial community structure before, during, and following two experimental manipulations. Specifically, we administered a broad-spectrum antibiotic, either alone or with subsequent fecal transfaunation, to healthy, male ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), then used 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to longitudinally track the diversity, composition, associations, and resistomes of their gut microbiota both within and across baseline, treatment, and recovery phases. RESULTS Antibiotic treatment resulted in a drastic decline in microbial diversity and a dramatic alteration in community composition. Whereas microbial diversity recovered rapidly regardless of experimental group, patterns of microbial community composition reflected long-term instability following treatment with antibiotics alone, a pattern that was attenuated by fecal transfaunation. Covariation analysis revealed that certain taxa dominated bacterial associations, representing potential keystone species in lemur gut microbiota. Antibiotic resistance genes, which were universally present, including in lemurs that had never been administered antibiotics, varied across individuals and treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS Long-term, integrated study post antibiotic-induced microbial imbalance revealed differential, metric-dependent evidence of recovery, with beneficial effects of fecal transfaunation on recovering community composition, and potentially negative consequences to lemur resistomes. Beyond providing new perspectives on the dynamics that govern host-associated communities, particularly in the Anthropocene era, our holistic study in an endangered species is a first step in addressing the recent, interdisciplinary calls for greater integration of microbiome science into animal care and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel L. Harris
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Nicholas M. Grebe
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Kimberly Roche
- Program in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | | | - Christine M. Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA
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