Abstract
Skin diseases commonly affect reptiles, but their relationships to the closely related skin microbiome are not well-understood. In recent years, both the wild and captive populations of the crocodile lizard, a Class I protected endangered animal in China, have suffered serious skin diseases that hamper the rescue and release projects for their conservation. This study conducted a detailed prevalence investigation of a major dermatosis characterized by foot skin ulcer in crocodile lizards. It should be noticed that skin ulcer has been prevalent in both captive and wild populations. There was positive correlation between skin ulcer and temperature, while no significant relationship between skin ulcer and humidity, sex, and age. We further studied the relationship between skin ulcer and the skin microbiota using meta-taxonomics. Results showed that the skin microbiota of crocodile lizards was significantly different from those of the environmental microbial communities, and that skin microbiota had a significant relationship with skin ulcer despite the impact of environment. Both bacterial and fungal communities on the ulcerated skin were significantly changed, which was characterized by lower community diversity and different dominant microbes. Our findings provide an insight into the relationship between skin microbiota and skin disease in reptile, serving as a reference for dermatological etiology in wildlife conservation.
Highlights
Recent studies have shown that microbiome dysbiosis is an important factor in many diseases
The dysbiosis of oral microbial community is associated with dental caries and periodontitis [2], whereas a disrupted vaginal microbiota is associated with bacterial vaginosis [3]
In Guangxi Daguishan Crocodile Lizard National Nature Reserve, the prevalence of skin ulcer in the captive population was up to 53.75% on July 5th, 2017 (Figure 2), whereas in the wild population, the prevalence varied in different streams (Table 1)
Summary
Recent studies have shown that microbiome dysbiosis is an important factor in many diseases. The dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been related to infection, autoimmunity and autoinflammation, and metabolic syndrome [1]. The dysbiosis of oral microbial community is associated with dental caries and periodontitis [2], whereas a disrupted vaginal microbiota is associated with bacterial vaginosis [3]. Changes in skin microbiota are related to skin diseases such as acne and atopic dermatitis [4]. The potential role of the microbiome on animal conservation is receiving increasing attention, including host health and disease, habitat degradation and nutrition utilization [5, 6]. Most studies have focused on the gut microbiome, and relatively few studied the microbes on the skin
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