Contrasting Vaginal Bacterial Communities Between Estrus and Non-estrus of Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Abstract

Bacterial infection and imbalance of bacterial community in the genitourinary system of giant panda could affect the reproductive health. In severe cases, it can also lead to abortion. In this study, 13 of vaginal secretions in the estrue (E) group and seven of vaginal secretions in the non-estrue (NE) group were used to study the composition and diversity of vaginal bacterial communities between estrus and non-estrus by 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. The results showed that the vaginal microbiome in giant pandas shared the same top five abundant species between estrus and non-estrus at the phylum level. However, the vaginal microbiome changed significantly during estrus at the genus level. In top 10 genera, the abundance of Escherichia, Streptococcus, and Bacteroides in the E group was significantly higher than that in the NE group (p<0.05); Azomonas, Porphyromonas, Prevotella, Campylobacter, and Peptoniphilus in the NE group was significantly higher than that in the E group (p<0.05). The richness and diversity of vaginal microbiome in giant panda on estrus were significantly lower than those on non-estrus (p<0.05). It is noteworthy that the abundance of Streptococcus, Escherichia, and Bacteroides of vagina in giant pandas maintained low abundance in the daily. Whereas, they increased significantly during estrus period, which may play an important role in female giant pandas during estrus period. It was hypothesized that hormones may be responsible for the changes in the vaginal microbiome of giant pandas between estrus and no-estrus stages.

Correlation between microbial characteristics and reproductive status of the yak uterus based on macrogenomic analysis

“…Similarly, Tenericutes , Firmicutes , and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant vaginal microbes in cows during estrus [ 12 ]. In the vagina of giant pandas, Bacteroides were maintained at low levels, but their abundance significantly increased during estrus [ 40 ]. Therefore, these results suggest that Bacteroides may serve as a marker of estrus in yaks.…”

Analysis of microbial diversity in the feces of Arborophila rufipectus

“…High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing analysis allowed the gut microbial composition of wild A. rufipectus to be explored without culture ( Yue et al, 2021 ). The gut microbiotas of wild A. rufipectus and L. nycthemera were mostly composed of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria at the phylum level, accounting for 96.88% of the total community.…”