Abstract
BackgroundIn order to better understand the possible role of fungi in giant panda reproduction and overall health, it is important to provide a baseline for the normal fungal composition in the reproductive system. Using morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis, we systematically isolated and identified fungal species from the vagina, foreskin, and semen of 21 (11 males and 10 females) healthy giant pandas to understand the normal fungal flora of the genital tracts.ResultsA total of 76 fungal strains were obtained, representing 42 genera and 60 species. Among them 47 fungal strains were obtained from vaginal samples, 24 from foreskins, and 5 from semen samples. Several fungal strains were isolated from more than one sample. More fungal species were isolated from females from males. The predominant genera were Aspergillus, Trichosporon, and Penicillium, followed by Candida, Cladosporium, Sordariomycetes, and Diaporthe. The average number of strains in the female vagina was significantly higher than in the foreskin and semen of male.ConclusionsA total of 60 fungal species (belonging to 42 genera) were identified in the giant panda’s genital tract. Some of the species were commonly shared in both males and females. These findings provide novel information on the fungal community in the reproductive tracts of giant pandas.
Highlights
In order to better understand the possible role of fungi in giant panda reproduction and overall health, it is important to provide a baseline for the normal fungal composition in the reproductive system
We investigated the fungal compositions in the vaginas, foreskins, and semen of 21 healthy giant pandas living in a semi-captive, semi-closed breeding environment
Morphological identification In this study, a total of 23 samples from vaginas, foreskins, and semen were collected from 21 healthy giant pandas (Table 1)
Summary
In order to better understand the possible role of fungi in giant panda reproduction and overall health, it is important to provide a baseline for the normal fungal composition in the reproductive system. Using morphology and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis, we systematically isolated and identified fungal species from the vagina, foreskin, and semen of 21 (11 males and 10 females) healthy giant pandas to understand the normal fungal flora of the genital tracts. Microorganisms are responsible for diseases that can directly or indirectly affect reproductive success in animals. Fungi are one of the most important microorganisms that are known to cause abortion in cattle [3] and horses [4]. In 1929, a study confirmed the existence of fungi in the human vagina [6]. Torulopsis and Candida spp. were later identified from vaginal samples [7]
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