Different gut microbial types were found in captive striped hamsters.

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Animal physiology
• Host-microbe interactions

Background:

• Typing analysis is common for categorizing animal gut microbial communities.
• Previous studies often linked microbial types to environmental variables.
• This study investigates if distinct microbial types exist in animals under identical environments and the role of host sex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if distinct gut microbial types can emerge in animals housed under the same environmental conditions.
• To explore the influence of host sex on the formation of these gut microbial types.

Main Methods:

• 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples from adult striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) of different sexes.
• Animals were housed under identical controlled laboratory conditions for two months.
• Analysis included Shannon index, ROC curves, and LEfSe for microbial community characterization.

Main Results:

• Gut microbiota naturally separated into two distinct types at the amplicon sequence variant (ASV) level.
• One type showed enrichment of Lactobacillus, Treponema, and Pygmaiobacter with higher carbohydrate metabolism.
• The other type had higher abundance of Turicibacter and Ruminiclostridium, with a more complex network and higher amino acid metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Distinct gut microbial types can develop in captive animals within a uniform environment.
• Host sex did not appear to be a significant factor in microbial typing for this small captive community.
• Further research is needed to identify driving factors and potential new types for understanding host-microbe dynamics.