Abstract
Animal gut microbiota begins to colonize after birth and is functionally indispensable for maintaining the health of the host. It has been reported that gender and age influence the composition of the intestinal microbiome. However, the effects of gender and age on the intestinal microorganism of forest musk deer (FMD) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between the structure and composition of fecal microbiota of male and female forest musk deer with age. Here, Illumina Miseq 300PE sequencing platform targeting 16S rRNA V3–V4 hypervariable region applied to define the fecal microbiota of male and female FMD with two age groups, juvenile (age 1–2 years) and adult (age 4–10 years). Alpha diversity index did not show significant difference in bacterial diversity between the males and females or among age groups. The intestinal microbiota of FMD was dominated by three phyla, the Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes regardless of gender and different ages. Higher proportions of Proteobacteria were found in adult male and juvenile female individuals. The composition of Bacteroidetes was stable with the gender and age of FMD. Interestingly, the relative abundance of genera Clostridiales and Bacteroidales were higher in the juvenile FMD. Conversely, proportions of Pseudomonas and Lachnospiraceae were abundant in the adult FMD. Higher proportions of Ruminococcaceae, Dore, and 5-7N15 were found in the juvenile male groups. They may reflect the different immune resistance of male and female individuals at different stages of development. This study explored the fecal microbiota composition of forest musk deer in relation to gender and age, which may provide an effective strategy for developing intestinal microecological preparations and potential musk deer breeding.
Highlights
E gut microbiota begins to colonize in vivo a er birth which is essential for maintaining animal health and performance, the composition of the intestinal microbiota is thought to change during the aging process [5]
Recent studies have shown that gender differences in the immune system and the effects of hormonal environments influence the formation of gut microbiota. e interaction between endocrine system and microbiome is helpful to the production of bacteria-assisted hormones and the regulation of host hormone homeostasis [12]
We aimed to identify the differences of the disease resistance between the male and female population of the forest musk deer. e finding of this study will provide a scientific basis for the nutritional microorganism preparation for juvenile and adult forest musk deer, and a theoretical basis for the diagnosis of diseases associated with digestive system to improve the health status and expand the population of the captive forest musk deer
Summary
E gut microbiota begins to colonize in vivo a er birth which is essential for maintaining animal health and performance, the composition of the intestinal microbiota is thought to change during the aging process [5]. E vaginal microbial community is dominated by genus Lactobacillus, which is known to be regulated by estrogen and colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of girls more o en than boys in early life [5] Microbiota can affect both innate and adaptive immunity, which indirectly reflects the level of disease resistance caused by gender differences [12]. Numerous studies have shown that the diet, health condition and genotype of musk deer have an impact on population of intestinal microorganisms [18,19,20]. Erefore, in this study, we performed high-throughput 16S-rRNA gene sequencing to comprehensively analyze and compare the composition and structure of fecal microbiota in male and female forest musk deer with two age groups. We aimed to identify the differences of the disease resistance between the male and female population of the forest musk deer. e finding of this study will provide a scientific basis for the nutritional microorganism preparation for juvenile and adult forest musk deer, and a theoretical basis for the diagnosis of diseases associated with digestive system to improve the health status and expand the population of the captive forest musk deer
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