1. Comparison of Intestinal Microbiota of Blue Fox before and after Weaning.
- Author
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Su, Hang, Jiang, Xinshuai, Liu, Hanyu, Bai, Huixin, Bai, Xiujuan, Xu, Yuan, and Du, Zhiheng
- Subjects
ARCTIC fox ,BOTANY ,GASTROINTESTINAL contents ,ORGANS (Anatomy) ,SPECIES distribution - Abstract
Simple Summary: The intestine is an important immune organ of the body in which the gut microbiota plays an important function. Gut microbiota is considered an important "organ" and is receiving increasing attention. This study investigated the diversity of gut microbiota in different intestinal segments of blue foxes, and the similarity between fecal microbiota and gut microbiota in samples taken before and after weaning. The types, distribution characteristics, and patterns of microorganisms in different intestinal segments of blue foxes differed before and after weaning. Except for the rectum, the dominant microbiota of each intestinal segment before and after weaning changed significantly. The fecal microbiota structure of weaned blue foxes cannot represent the exact structural characteristics of the entire gut microbiota but can represent the structural characteristics of the colon and rectum gut microbiota. Intestinal flora plays an important role in maintaining the internal stability and health of the intestine. Currently, intestinal microbes are considered an important "organ" but are mostly ignored by people. This study evaluated the flora structure of each intestinal segment of blue foxes pre-weaning and explored the differences between the fecal flora and intestinal flora structure of each segment after weaning. Samples of intestinal contents from three blue foxes at 45 days of age (before weaning) and intestinal contents and feces samples from at 80 days (after weaning) were collected for 16s rRNA flora analysis. The species and distribution characteristics of microorganisms in different intestinal segments of blue foxes before and after weaning were different. Except for the rectum, the dominant flora of each intestinal segment of blue fox changed significantly after experiencing weaning, and the fecal flora structure of young fox at the weaning stage did not represent the whole intestinal flora structure but was highly similar to that of the colon and rectum. To sum up, the intestinal flora of blue foxes changed systematically before and after weaning. When performing non-invasive experiments, the microflora structure of the colon and rectum of blue foxes can be predicted by collecting fecal samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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