家养雪貂(Mustelaputoriusfuro)是美国流行的伴侣宠物,估计有50万人口。尽管是有快速消化系统的强制性食肉动物,对它们的肠道微生物组知之甚少。这项研究旨在比较健康的家养雪貂和猫的粪便微生物群,都是专性食肉动物.我们收集并分析了36只健康雪貂和36只健康猫的粪便样本,测序16SrRNA基因的V4区。使用QIIME2,我们评估了α和β多样性,并确定了分类单元的差异。和猫相比,雪貂表现出较高的Firmicutes和Proteobacteria代表性,而拟杆菌和放线菌在猫中更为普遍。雪貂的微生物组显示出较低的α多样性。雪貂肠道微生物组中高度存在的细菌属包括严格的梭状芽孢杆菌,链球菌,Romboutsia,Paeniclostridium,乳酸菌,肠球菌,和乳球菌。值得注意的是,雪貂的微生物群与猫的明显不同。这项研究强调了雪貂胃肠道护理的潜在差异,强调需要量身定制的方法。未来的研究应该探索具有胃肠道问题的雪貂的微生物组变化及其对饮食和医疗干预的反应。
The domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is a popular companion pet in the United States, with an estimated population of 500,000. Despite being obligate carnivores with a fast digestive system, little is known about their gut microbiomes. This study aims to compare the fecal microbiomes of healthy domestic ferrets and cats, which are both obligate carnivores. We collected and analyzed stool samples from 36 healthy ferrets and 36 healthy cats, sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Using QIIME 2, we assessed the alpha and beta diversities and identified the taxa differences. Compared to cats, ferrets exhibited a higher representation of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, while Bacteroidota and Actinomycetota were more prevalent in cats. The ferrets\' microbiomes displayed lower alpha diversities. The highly present bacterial genera in the gut microbiomes of ferrets included Clostridium sensu stricto, Streptococcus, Romboutsia, Paeniclostridium, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Lactococcus. Notably, the ferrets\' microbiomes significantly differed from those of cats. This research highlights the potential differences in gastrointestinal care for ferrets, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches. Future studies should explore microbiome variations in ferrets with gastrointestinal issues and their responses to dietary and medical interventions.