Microbiological Assessment of Some Culturable Microbiota from Clinically Healthy Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Under Human Care

The mammalian commensal microbiota constitutes over a thousand bacterial phylotypes (Suchodolski, 2014) and confers important functions, including a mucosal barrier function, a metabolic function, and an immune regulatory function, which contribute to the development and regulation of the gut immune system (Backhed et al., 2005). The composition of microbiota can be influenced by various factors, including diet, exposure to antibiotics, and the well-functioning mechanisms of immune tolerance (Koenig et al., 2011). Unfortunately, there are few reports describing gastrointestinal microflora in cetacean species, and the available information is related to free-ranging dolphins (Morris et al., 2011). The knowledge of normal gastrointestinal microflora from healthy dolphins under human care, in addition to allowing a wider understanding of the role of bacteria in animals with physiological disorders, could permit an evaluation of the general health status of wild marine mammals and the potential transmission risks to humans. The aim of this study is to detect and enumerate some culturable microorganisms from the gastric juice and faeces of clinically healthy bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) kept under human care to establish baseline data for this species for the first time.