Understanding the gut microbiota characteristics of endangered species such as the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), especially in their early stages of life, could be essential for improving their management and ex situ conservation strategies. Here, we analyzed the gut microbiota diversity, composition, and function of captive Eurasian otters at different ages using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that: (1) Clostridiaceae was abundant in all age stages; (2) Lactococcus in cubs is thought to predominate for digesting milk; (3) bacteria associated with amino acid metabolism increase with age, while bacteria associated with carbohydrate metabolism decrease with age, which is likely due to decrease in dietary carbohydrate content (e.g., milk) and increase in dietary protein contents (e.g., fishes) with age; and (4) fish-related bacteria were detected in feces of healthy adults and juveniles. Overall, the gut microbiota of captive Eurasian otters was taxonomically and functionally different by age, which is thought to be attributed to the difference in the diet in their life stages. This study provided baseline information regarding the gut microbiota of Eurasian otters for the first time and contributes to improvement in their management in captivity.
We detected three chicken astrovirus strains from 4-day-old broiler chickens with a high mortality rate and visceral gout, and one strain from 150-day-old hens without clinical symptoms in Saga prefecture, Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ORF1 amino acid sequence revealed that the strains from the visceral gout case were classified into subgroup Bi, and the strain from chickens without clinical symptoms was classified into subgroup Aiii. Our data indicate that diseases caused by chicken astrovirus can occur in Japan, and that chicken astrovirus infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of chickens with visceral gout.
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