Investigating Gut Homeostasis in Stray Animals Across Different Air Pollution Zones

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Metabolomics

Background:

• Air quality standards are tightening, necessitating new monitoring methods.
• Stray animals, particularly cats, may indicate environmental pollution impacts on gut health.
• Previous research focused on model organisms, not urban wildlife.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of air pollution on the gut microbiome and metabolome of stray cats.
• To assess stray cats as potential sentinels for environmental health monitoring.
• To explore the relationship between air pollution gradients and feline gut health.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• 16S rRNA sequencing for gut microbial analysis.
• Non-targeted metabolomics for fecal metabolite profiling.

Main Results:

• Polluted zones had higher PM2.5, SO2, CO, and NO2 levels.
• Gut microbial alpha-diversity was lower in polluted zones.
• Metabolomic analysis revealed altered lipid profiles, bile acids, and neuroactive pathways in polluted cohorts.

Conclusions:

• Air pollution is associated with significant alterations in the feline gut microbiome-metabolome axis.
• Findings suggest potential systemic health effects, from gut to neuroendocrine levels.
• Urban stray cats show translational potential as sentinel species in One Health initiatives.