Unveiling the Fecal Microbiota in Two Captive Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) Populations Receiving Different Type of Diets

Abstract

The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) was once distributed in southern United States and northern Mexico. It is an endangered subspecies detached from the gray wolf, and likely exemplifies one of the original migration waves of C. lupus into the new world. This is a canine whose individuals survive in specialized facilities, zoos, and museums as part of captive-breeding programs. In order to contribute to the improvement of the management of this species and favor its long-term conservation in Mexico, we aimed to evaluate the diversity and abundance of the fecal bacterial microbiota in two populations exposed to different types of diet: (1) Michilia (23° N, 104° W); kibble daily and raw meat sporadically, and (2) Ocotal (19° N, 99° W); raw meat daily and live animals periodically. Next generation sequencing (V3-V4 16S rRNA gene) by Illumina was implemented. The operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in Michilia resulted in 9 phyla, 19 classes, 34 orders, 61 families, 204 genera, and 316 species, while in Ocotal there were 12 phyla, 24 classes, 37 orders, 69 families, 232 genera, and 379 species. Higher estimated Chao1 richness, Shannon diversity, and core microbiota were observed in Ocotal. Differences (p < 0.05) between populations occurred according to the Bray–Curtis beta diversity index. In the Michilia, dominance of bacteria that degrade carbohydrates (Firmicutes, Lachnospiraceae, Blautia, Clostrodium, Eisenbergiella, Romboutsia, and Ruminococcus) was observed; they are abundant in kibble diets. In contrast, the Ocotal microbiota was dominated by protein-degrading bacteria (Fusobacteria, Fusobacteriaceae, and Fusobacteria), indicating a possible positive relation with a raw meat diet. The information generated in this study is fundamental to support the implementation of better management plans in the two populations considered here, as well as in different facilities of southern United States and Mexico, where this subspecies is kept in captivity for conservation purposes.

Bacteria in the blood of healthy stray dogs infested by ticks in northern Mexico

“…DNA extraction and visualization were performed following the protocol by Barraza et al [ 3 , 10 ]. The amplification of the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal ribunocleic acid gene was performed using the primers S-D-Bact-0341-b-S-17, 5’-CCTACGGGNGGCWGCAG-3’ and S-D-Bact-0785-a-A-21, 5’-GACTACHVGGGTATCTAATCC-3’, which produces an amplicon of ~460 bp.…”

“…Recent literature has suggested the existence of a blood microbiota [ 1 ] that mostly originates from the intestinal microbiome [ 2 ]. The bacterial microbiota is fundamental in different vital processes of vertebrates since it plays a transcendental role in their health and well-being, both directly and indirectly, in their physiology, immune system, nutrition, and metabolic processes through different mechanisms of coexistence, such as commensalism, mutualism, symbiosis, and pathogenicity [ 3 ].…”

Understanding the long-lasting associations among humans, neglected dogs, tick-borne diseases, and core blood bacteria-related pathogenic taxa using next-generation sequencing

“…Blood was collected by venipuncture, after which the puncture area was previously sanitized with 96% alcohol and deposited in Vacutainer K3EDTA tubes (Vacutainer K3E, BD, USA); 3 mL of blood per person was extracted, and ten drops of blood (50 mg wet weight) from each collected sample were deposited in a (BashingBead™; California, USA) lysis tube of a DNA Zymobiomics Kit (Zymo Research™; California, USA); then, 750 µL of lysing/stabilizing solution (Xpedition™; California, USA) was added. Each tube was processed in a cell disruptor (TerraLyzer™; California, USA) for 30 s [12].…”

“…The concentration and quality of the DNA obtained from the samples were measured using a Qubit® 3.0. (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) [12].…”