Abstract
BackgroundChronic recurrent diarrhoea and weight loss is a common problem in captive callitrichids. These symptoms are common clinical features of marmoset wasting syndrome (MWS), a chronic enteric inflammation of unknown aetiology associated with mortality in captive marmosets. The unknown aetiology of the condition presents problems for conservation projects where affected colonies present higher mortality and lower birth rates. Since a role for the microbiome has been established in chronic enteric inflammation of other species it is possible that the intestinal microbiome undergoes similar changes during MWS.ResultsThe faecal microbiome of pied tamarins (Saguinus bicolor) at Jersey Zoo was determined using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to compare the composition of the faecal microbiome of tamarins affected by chronic recurrent diarrhoea and weight loss with unaffected individuals. Affected individuals had a higher relative abundance of amplicon sequence variants assigned to Lactobacillus and Helicobacter jaachi while unaffected individuals had a higher relative abundance of some Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae.ConclusionsAlthough Helicobacter has been shown to reside in healthy wild and captive marmosets and tamarins and appears to form part of the normal microbiota, the results of this study raise the prospect that certain species of Helicobacter may be associated with chronic, recurrent diarrhoea in captive callitrichids. The presence of Lactobacillus may also play a role in the development of MWS. Since depletion of Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae have been linked to chronic gastrointestinal inflammation in humans, this feature of the microbiome of affected tamarins provides another avenue of further research in the pathogenesis of MWS.
Highlights
The pied tamarin, Saguinus bicolor, is a species of callitrichid primate endemic to the Brazilian Amazonian rainforest, close to the regional capital Manaus
Future survival may depend on successful captive breeding projects, pied tamarins have proved challenging to manage in captivity
One of the principal problems is their predisposition to develop chronic diarrhoea resulting in weight loss which appear to be symptoms of marmoset wasting syndrome (MWS), a chronic enteric disease of unknown aetiology associated with mortality in captive marmosets and other callitrichids
Summary
The pied tamarin, Saguinus bicolor, is a species of callitrichid primate endemic to the Brazilian Amazonian rainforest, close to the regional capital Manaus This proximity to a large urban environment has resulted in habitat loss and fragmentation which threatens the wild population [26]. One of the principal problems is their predisposition to develop chronic diarrhoea resulting in weight loss which appear to be symptoms of marmoset wasting syndrome (MWS), a chronic enteric disease of unknown aetiology associated with mortality in captive marmosets and other callitrichids. Chronic recurrent diarrhoea and weight loss is a common problem in captive callitrichids These symptoms are common clinical features of marmoset wasting syndrome (MWS), a chronic enteric inflammation of unknown aetiology associated with mortality in captive marmosets.
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