Characterizing the bacterial microbiota in different gastrointestinal tract segments of the Bactrian camel

Abstract

The bacterial community plays important roles in the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of animals. However, our understanding of the microbial communities in the GIT of Bactrian camels remains limited. Here, we describe the bacterial communities from eight different GIT segments (rumen, reticulum, abomasum, duodenum, ileum, jejunum, caecum, colon) and faeces determined from 11 Bactrian camels using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Twenty-seven bacterial phyla were found in the GIT, with Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes predominating. However, there were significant differences in microbial community composition between segments of the GIT. In particular, a greater proportion of Akkermansia and Unclassified Ruminococcaceae were found in the large intestine and faecal samples, while more Unclassified Clostridiales and Unclassified Bacteroidales were present in the in forestomach and small intestine. Comparative analysis of the microbiota from different GIT segments revealed that the microbial profile in the large intestine was like that in faeces. We also predicted the metagenomic profiles for the different GIT regions. In forestomach, there was enrichment associated with replication and repair and amino acid metabolism, while carbohydrate metabolism was enriched in the large intestine and faeces. These results provide profound insights into the GIT microbiota of Bactrian camels.

Characterizing the microbiota in gastrointestinal tract segments of Rhabdophis subminiatus: Dynamic changes and functional predictions

“…Although we did not take oral samples from the snakes, the upper GIT segments had higher abundance than did the lower GIT segments, but there was no significant difference in the diversity of the GIT segments. These results are consistent with an herbivorous bactrian camel study in which high abundance and diversity were found in the lower GIT segments (He et al, ), which is associated with the camels retaining feed particles in their rumen for much longer than other large herbivores do. It is known that snakes are carnivores and will eat their prey whole.…”

“…The results from the microbial function prediction suggested that membrane transport, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, replication, and repair pathways are common microbial functions in R. subminiatus. Gene function level 2 was prevalent in metabolism functions, which was in agreement with previous studies on the timber rattlesnake (McLaughlin et al, 2015), mice (Suzuki & Nachman, 2016), pigs (Zhao et al, 2015), cattle (Mao, Zhang, Liu, & Zhu, 2015), and bactrian camels (He et al, 2018). Comparing the predicted microbial function between different GIT segments, we detected a circulatory system that mainly exists in the stomach and small intestine.…”

“…Physiological variations in different GIT segments include chemical and nutrient gradients, both of which are known to influence bacterial community composition. Studies on the composition of microbiota in different GIT segments have been carried out on animals with various diets, including mice (Suzuki & Nachman, ), pigs (Zhao et al, ), bactrian camels (He et al, ), sheep (Zhang et al, ), alligators (Keenan, Engel, & Elsey, ), and snakes (Colston, Noonan, & Jackson, ).…”

“…Physiological variations in different GIT segments include chemical and nutrient gradients, both of which are known to influence bacterial community composition. Studies on the composition of microbiota in different GIT segments have been carried out on animals with various diets, including mice (Suzuki & Nachman, 2016), pigs (Zhao et al, 2015), bactrian camels (He et al, 2018), sheep (Zhang et al, 2018), alligators (Keenan, Engel, & Elsey, 2013), and snakes (Colston, Noonan, & Jackson, 2015). Snakes (Squamata: Serpentes) are an important branch of amniotic ectothermic vertebrates that occupy every continent except Antarctica and nearly all biomes, including terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats (Zhao, 1998(Zhao, , 2006.…”

Old World camels in a modern world – a balancing act between conservation and genetic improvement

“…Recent studies on the camel gastrointestinal tract metagenome detected at least 27 bacterial phyla. Whereas in the forestomach a higher number of bacteria were associated with amino acid metabolism, replication and repair, carbohydrate metabolism was enriched in the large intestine and faeces (Gharechahi & Salekdeh 2018;He et al 2018). A novel thermo-stable xylanase showing a high activity in a broad pH and temperature range was discovered in the dromedary rumen metagenome, suggesting a potential application in some industrial sectors (e.g.…”