ABSTRACT: Rescuing seal pups is an important conservation action for spotted seals Phoca largha. Gut microbiota are directly associated with host health and diet metabolism. Therefore, knowledge gained from gut microbiota variations of spotted seal pups held in captivity after rescue can help formulate comprehensive rescue plans for the future. In this study, we collected feces from a rescued spotted seal pup every 3 d during the rescue process. Fecal bacterial communities were measured by high-throughput sequencing based on 16S rRNA amplification. Firmicutes were the most dominant bacteria, comprising >70% of the total gut microbiota. Moreover, differences in fecal bacterial communities of the rescued spotted seal pup between rescue and release were compared. At release, the abundances of 2 potential bacteria related to gut health, Blautia producta and Cetobacterium somerae, were remarkably lower, while Clostridium perfringens, a key mammalian pathogen, was significantly higher in the feces of the released pup. Moreover, the pup experienced a bout of diarrhea during its time in captivity, which resulted in a momentary change in its gut microbiota. Fusobacterium was recognized as a potential causative pathogen for the diarrhea. This study contributes to our understanding of gut microbiota variations in spotted seal pups during the rescue period.

中文翻译：

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营救的斑海豹幼崽中的肠道菌群变异

摘要：抢救海豹幼崽是发现斑海豹Phoca largha的重要保护措施。肠道菌群与宿主健康和饮食代谢直接相关。因此，在抢救后从圈养的斑点海豹幼崽的肠道菌群变异中获得的知识可以帮助制定未来的全面救援计划。在这项研究中，我们在救援过程中每3天从一只发现的斑海豹幼崽中收集粪便。通过基于16S rRNA扩增的高通量测序来测量粪便细菌群落。坚定是最主要的细菌，占肠道菌群总数的70％以上。此外，比较了营救和释放之间营救的斑点海豹幼崽粪便细菌群落的差异。在释放时，与肠道健康有关的两种潜在细菌丰产梭菌和Sometoe细菌的含量显着降低，而主要的哺乳动物病原体产气荚膜梭状芽胞杆菌在释放的粪便中的含量明显更高。此外，幼崽在被圈养期间经历了一次腹泻，这导致了肠道菌群的短暂变化。梭菌被认为是腹泻的潜在病原体。这项研究有助于我们了解救援期间斑点海豹幼崽的肠道菌群变化。