1
|
Omaleki L, Blyde D, Hanger J, Loader J, McKay P, Lobo E, Harris LM, Nicolson V, Blackall PJ, Turni C. LONEPINELLA SP. ISOLATED FROM WOUND INFECTIONS OF KOALAS. J Wildl Dis 2023; 59:398-406. [PMID: 37170426 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-22-00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
We describe two cases of wound infections of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), one wild and one captive, in which Lonepinella-like organisms were involved. The wild adult koala was captured with bite wound injuries, as part of a koala population management program in Queensland, Australia. In both cases, there was evidence of physical trauma causing the initial wound. The captive koala suffered injury from the cage wire, and the wild koala had injuries suggestive of intermale fighting. Gram-negative bacteria isolated from both cases proved to be challenging to identify using routine diagnostic tests. The wound in the captive koala yielded a pure culture of an organism shown by whole genome sequence (WGS) analysis to be a member of the genus Lonepinella, but not a member of the only formally described species, L. koalarum. The wound of the wild koala yielded a mixed culture of Citrobacter koseri, Enterobacter cloacae and an organism shown by WGS analysis to be Lonepinella, but again not Lonepinella koalarum. Both cases were difficult to treat; the captive koala eventually had to have the phalanges amputated, and the wild koala required removal of the affected claw. The two Lonepinella isolates from these cases have a close relationship to an isolate from a human wound caused by a koala bite and may represent a novel species within the genus Lonepinella. Wound infections in koalas linked to Lonepinella have not been reported previously. Wildlife veterinarians need to be aware of the potential presence of Lonepinella-like organisms when dealing with wound infections in koalas, and the inability of commercial kits and systems to correctly identify the isolates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lida Omaleki
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia
| | - David Blyde
- Sea World Australia, Surfers Paradise, Queensland 4217, Australia
- Dreamworld, Coomera, Queensland 4209, Australia
| | - Jon Hanger
- Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, Toorbul, Queensland, 4510, Australia
| | - Jo Loader
- Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, Toorbul, Queensland, 4510, Australia
| | - Philippa McKay
- Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, Toorbul, Queensland, 4510, Australia
| | - Edina Lobo
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia
- Current affiliation: School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, North Rockhampton, Queensland 4701, Australia
| | | | | | - Patrick J Blackall
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia
| | - Conny Turni
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Animal Age Affects the Gut Microbiota and Immune System in Captive Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus). Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0410122. [PMID: 36602319 PMCID: PMC9927321 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04101-22] [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] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Gut microbiota is one of the major elements in the control of host health. However, the composition of gut microbiota in koalas has rarely been investigated. Here, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine the individual and environmental determinants of gut microbiota diversity and function in 35 fecal samples collected from captive koalas. Meanwhile, blood immune-related cytokine levels were examined by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR to initially explore the relationship between the gut microbiota and the immune system in koalas. The relative abundance of many bacteria, such as Lonepinella koalarum, varies at different ages in koalas and decreases with age. Conversely, Ruminococcus flavefaciens increases with age. Moreover, bacterial pathways involved in lipid metabolism, the biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, and infectious disease show a significant correlation with age. Age affects the relationship between the microbiota and the host immune system. Among them, the gut microbiota of subadult and aged koalas was closely correlated with CD8β and CD4, whereas adult koalas were correlated with CLEC4E. We also found that sex, reproductive status, and living environment have little impact on the koala gut microbiota and immune system. These results shed suggest age is a key factor affecting gut microbiota and immunity in captive koalas and thus provide new insight into its role in host development and the host immune system. IMPORTANCE Although we have a preliminary understanding of the gut microbiota of koalas, we lack insight into which factors potentially impact captive koalas. This study creates the largest koala gut microbiota data set in China to date and describes several factors that may affect gut microbiota and the immune system in captive koalas, highlighting that age may be a key factor affecting captive koalas. Moreover, this study is the first to characterize the correlation between gut microbiota and cytokines in koalas. Better treatment strategies for infectious disorders may be possible if we can better understand the interactions between the immune system and the microbiota.
Collapse
|
3
|
Eisenhofer R, Brice KL, Blyton MDJ, Bevins SE, Leigh K, Singh BK, Helgen KM, Hough I, Daniels CB, Speight N, Moore BD. Individuality and stability of the koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal microbiota through time. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14598. [PMID: 36710873 PMCID: PMC9879153 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gut microbiota studies often rely on a single sample taken per individual, representing a snapshot in time. However, we know that gut microbiota composition in many animals exhibits intra-individual variation over the course of days to months. Such temporal variations can be a confounding factor in studies seeking to compare the gut microbiota of different wild populations, or to assess the impact of medical/veterinary interventions. To date, little is known about the variability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) gut microbiota through time. Here, we characterise the gut microbiota from faecal samples collected at eight timepoints over a month for a captive population of South Australian koalas (n individuals = 7), and monthly over 7 months for a wild population of New South Wales koalas (n individuals = 5). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that microbial diversity was stable over the course of days to months. Each koala had a distinct faecal microbiota composition which in the captive koalas was stable across days. The wild koalas showed more variation across months, although each individual still maintained a distinct microbial composition. Per koala, an average of 57 (±16) amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected across all time points; these ASVs accounted for an average of 97% (±1.9%) of the faecal microbial community per koala. The koala faecal microbiota exhibits stability over the course of days to months. Such knowledge will be useful for future studies comparing koala populations and developing microbiota interventions for this regionally endangered marsupial.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Eisenhofer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kylie L. Brice
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michaela DJ Blyton
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Scott E. Bevins
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kellie Leigh
- Science for Wildlife Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Brajesh K. Singh
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia,Global Centre for Land Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ian Hough
- Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher B. Daniels
- Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Natasha Speight
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ben D. Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dearing MD, Weinstein SB. Metabolic Enabling and Detoxification by Mammalian Gut Microbes. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:579-596. [PMID: 35671535 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-111121-085333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The longstanding interactions between mammals and their symbionts enable thousands of mammal species to consume herbivorous diets. The microbial communities in mammals degrade both plant fiber and toxins. Microbial toxin degradation has been repeatedly documented in domestic ruminants, but similar work in wild mammals is more limited due to constraints on sampling and manipulating the microbial communities in these species. In this review, we briefly describe the toxins commonly encountered in mammalian diets, major classes of biotransformation enzymes in microbes and mammals, and the gut chambers that house symbiotic microbes. We next examine evidence for microbial detoxification in domestic ruminants before providing case studies on microbial toxin degradation in both foregut- and hindgut-fermenting wild mammals. We end by discussing species that may be promising for future investigations, and the advantages and limitations of approaches currently available for studying degradation of toxins by mammalian gut microbes. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Denise Dearing
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA;
| | - Sara B Weinstein
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Blyton MDJ, Soo RM, Hugenholtz P, Moore BD. Characterization of the juvenile koala gut microbiome across wild populations. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:4209-4219. [PMID: 35018700 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In this study we compared the faecal microbiomes of wild joey koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) to those of adults, including their mothers, to establish whether gut microbiome maturation and inheritance in the wild is comparable to that seen in captivity. Our findings suggest that joey koala microbiomes slowly shift towards an adult assemblage between 6 and 12 months of age, as the microbiomes of 9-month-old joeys were more similar to those of adults than those of 7-month-olds, but still distinct. At the phylum level, differences between joeys and adults were broadly consistent with those in captivity, with Firmicutes increasing in relative abundance over the joeys' development and Proteobacteria decreasing. Of the fibre-degrading genes that increased in abundance over the development of captive joeys, those involved in hemicellulose and cellulose degradation, but not pectin degradation, were also generally found in higher abundance in adult wild koalas compared to 7-month-olds. Greater maternal inheritance of the faecal microbiome was seen in wild than in captive koalas, presumably due to the more solitary nature of wild koalas. This strong maternal inheritance of the gut microbiome could contribute to the development of localized differences in microbiome composition, population health and diet through spatial clustering of relatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michaela D J Blyton
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia.,School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Rochelle M Soo
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Philip Hugenholtz
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Ben D Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia
| |
Collapse
|