Analysis of Gut Microbiota and Assessment of Environmental Health in Western Anatolian Vole (Microtus lydius Blackler, 1916)
Abstract
The significant risk posed by zoonotic pathogens to humans increases the need to better understand how these pathogens are maintained and transmitted within ecosystems. Microtus (voles), one of the important members of wildlife, are widely distributed in agricultural fields and can directly interact with humans through farmers or agricultural products. Microbiological studies on this genus have identified certain pathogenic bacteria. However, the microbiota of free-living voles in nature also includes members with significant probiotic effects. In this study, the gut microbiota of Microtus lydius, a species widely distributed in Western Anatolia, was characterized for the first time through DNA isolation from fecal samples and the use of 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing technology. The detected bacterial groups were examined across all taxonomic categories. According to the microbial analysis results of the species, the dominant bacteria in the gut microbiota are probiotic in nature, reflecting the species' dietary characteristics. Pathogenic bacteria, on the other hand, are present at low abundance and contribute to species diversity. The microbial records identified for Microtus lydius provide valuable insights for assessing the infectious risks of this species, which interacts with humans in the wild, as well as for understanding the probiotic health effects in social behavior models and contributing to phylogenetic research.
Keywords
Kaynakça
- Amato, K.R., Jeyakumar, T., Poinar, H., & Gros, P. (2019). Shifting climates, foods, and diseases: the human microbiome through evolution. Bioessays, 41(10), 1900034. DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900034
- Anwar, H., Iftikhar, A., Muzaffar, H., Almatroudi, A., Allemailem, K.S., Navaid, S., … & Khurshid, M. (2021). Biodiversity of gut microbiota: impact of various host and environmental factors. BioMed Research International, 2021(1), 5575245. DOI: 10.1155/2021/5575245
- Assefa, S., Ahles, K., Bigelow, S., Curtis, J.T., & Köhler, G.A. (2015). Lactobacilli with probiotic potential in the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). Gut Pathogens, 7(1), 35. DOI: 10.1186/s13099-015- 0082-0
- Barnett, T.C., Cole, J.N., Rivera‐Hernandez, T., Henningham, A., Paton, J.C., Nizet, V., & Walker, M.J. (2015). Streptococcal toxins: role in pathogenesis and disease. Cellular microbiology, 17(12), 1721-1741. DOI: 10.1111/cmi.12531
- Bhat, M.I., & Kapila, R. (2017). Dietary metabolites derived from gut microbiota: critical modulators of epigenetic changes in mammals. Nutrition reviews, 75(5), 374-389. DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nux001
- Blackler, W.G. (1916). L.-On a new species of Microtus from Asia Minor. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 17(102), 426-427. DOI: 10.1080/00222931608693808
- Choi, K.J., Yoon, M.Y., Kim, J.-E., & Yoon, S.S. (2023). Gut commensal Kineothrix alysoides mitigates liver dysfunction by restoring lipid metabolism and gut microbial balance. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 14668. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41160-y
- Curtis, J.T., Assefa, S., Francis, A., & Köhler, G.A. (2018). Fecal microbiota in the female prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster). PLoS One, 13(3), e0190648. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190648
- Flemer, B., Gaci, N., Borrel, G., Sanderson, I.R., Chaudhary, P.P., Tottey, W., … & Brugère, J.- F. (2017). Fecal microbiota variation across the lifespan of the healthy laboratory rat. Gut microbes, 8(5), 428-439. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2017.1334033
- Gurbanov, R., Kabaoğlu, U., & Yağcı, T. (2022). Metagenomic analysis of intestinal microbiota in wild rats living in urban and rural habitats. Folia Microbiologica, 67(3), 469-477. DOI: 10.1007/s12223-022-00951-y