Characteristics of Gorilla-Specific Lactobacillus Isolated from Captive and Wild Gorillas.

Sayaka Tsuchida,Steven Kakooza,Eddie Wampande,Kazunari Ushida,Pierre Mbehang Nguema

doi:10.3390/microorganisms6030086

Sayaka Tsuchida, Steven Kakooza + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms6030086

Copy DOI

Abstract

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) reside in a wide range of mammals, such as autochthonous intestinal bacteria. In this paper, we present the phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics of gorilla-specific LAB. Lactobacillus gorillae—previously isolated from the wild and captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)—were successfully isolated from wild mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) in addition to other captive and wild western lowland gorillas. The strains from wild gorillas could ferment D-xylose, arbutine, cellobiose, and trehalose better than those from captive gorillas. By contrast, tolerance to NaCl was higher in isolates from captive gorillas than in those from wild gorillas. This tendency may have been induced by regular foods in zoos, which contain sufficient amount of salts but less amount of indigestible fiber and plant secondary metabolites compared to foods in the wild. All strains of L. gorillae showed inhibitory activities to enteric pathogenic bacteria; however, the activity was significantly higher for strains from wild gorillas than for those from captive gorillas. This may have been induced by the captive condition with routine veterinary intervention. Since L. gorillae can grow in the gastrointestinal tract of gorillas in captivity, the strains from wild mountain gorillas are potential probiotics for gorillas under captive conditions.

Highlights

The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbes of mammals develop complex ecosystems with a vast diversity after birth, which largely varies between animal species and individuals [1,2]
We have found that the phylogenetic relationship among strains of L. gorillae—isolated from various sources, such as captive and wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and wild mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei)—show the monophyly of isolates from G.g.b. isolates, apparently separated from those from captive and wild G.g.g
Strains UM01, UM03, UR07, UR10, and UH14 were isolated from wild mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda; strains HZ04, HZ07, HZ10, HZ11, and HZ16 were isolated from captive western lowland gorillas in Higashiyama Zoo, Nagoya, Japan; and strains GG05, GG08, GG12, and GG15 were isolated from wild western lowland gorillas in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon using a method described previously [22]

Summary

Introduction

The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbes of mammals develop complex ecosystems with a vast diversity after birth, which largely varies between animal species and individuals [1,2]. Some reports have described an essential role of diet in the development and maintenance of LAB in various animal hosts in captivity [11,13]; only few studies have revealed the composition of LAB in wild animals under wild feeding conditions. Foods available in the wild habitats, for herbivores, deploy several protective chemicals to escape from herbivory [14]. These plant secondary metabolites, toxins, may negatively affect GIT microbes including LAB [15,16], but some GIT microbes can degrade these compounds to help the host to survive on such natural foods in the wild [17,18]. We demonstrated the efficient degradation of plant secondary metabolites and toxins by cecal bacteria in wild Japanese Rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta japonica) [19,20]

Methods

Results

Conclusion