Abstract：
The microbes inhabiting an animal\'s gastrointestinal tracts, collectively known as the gut microbiome, are vital to animal health and wellbeing. For animals experiencing gut distress or infection, modulation of the gut microbiome, for example, via fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), provides a possible disease prevention and treatment method. The beneficial microbes present in the donor\'s transplanted feces can help combat pathogens, assist in digestion, and rebalance the recipient\'s microbiota. Investigating the efficacy of FMTs in animal health is a crucial step toward improving management strategies for species under human care. We present a case study of the use of FMTs in a two-toed sloth experiencing abnormally large, clumped, and frequent stools. We used 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing of fecal samples to (a) compare the microbiomes of the FMT donor, a healthy, cohoused conspecific, and the FMT recipient and (b) assess the influence of multiple rounds of FMTs on the recipient\'s microbiome and stool consistency and frequency over time. In response to the FMTs, we found that the recipient\'s microbiome showed trends toward increased diversity, shifted community composition, and altered membership that more resembled the community of the donor. FMT treatment was also associated with marked, yet temporary, alleviation of the recipient\'s abnormal bowel movements, suggesting a broader impact on gut health. Our results provide valuable preliminary evidence that FMT treatments can augment the recipient\'s gut microbiome, with potential implications for animal health and management.
摘要：
居住在动物胃肠道中的微生物，统称为肠道微生物组，对动物健康和福祉至关重要。对于经历肠道不适或感染的动物，肠道微生物组的调节，例如,通过粪便微生物移植（FMT），提供了一种可能的疾病预防和治疗方法。供体移植粪便中存在的有益微生物可以帮助对抗病原体，协助消化，并重新平衡受者的微生物群。调查FMT在动物健康中的功效是改善人类护理下物种管理策略的关键步骤。我们提供了一个案例研究，该案例研究了在经历异常大的两趾树懒中使用FMT，结块,经常大便。我们使用粪便样品的16SrRNA扩增子测序(a)比较FMT供体的微生物组,一个健康的,共同居住的特定，和FMT接受者，（b）评估多轮FMT对接受者的微生物组和粪便稠度和频率随时间的影响。为了响应FMT，我们发现受体的微生物组显示出增加多样性的趋势，改变了社区组成，并改变了更类似于捐赠者社区的成员。FMT治疗也与标记相关，然而暂时的，缓解受者的异常排便，表明对肠道健康有更广泛的影响。我们的结果提供了有价值的初步证据，表明FMT治疗可以增强受体的肠道微生物组，对动物健康和管理有潜在影响。
