TY - JOUR
T1 - Characterisation of the intestinal microbiota of commercially farmed saltwater crocodiles, Crocodylus porosus
AU - Willson, Nicky-Lee
AU - Van, Thi T. H.
AU - Lever, John
AU - Moore, Robert J.
AU - Stanley, Dragana
PY - 2019/10/19
Y1 - 2019/10/19
N2 - The Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) industry began commercially in the 1980s, producing skins for export and crocodile meat as a by-product. Industry research has thus far focused on strategies to improve production efficiency. In the current study, we utilised 16S rRNA sequencing to characterise the intestinal microbiome of Australian saltwater crocodiles. Samples were collected from 13 commercially farmed crocodiles from six sample sites along the length of the intestinal tract. The results indicate a similar microbiome composition to that found in the freshwater alligator, with the dominate phyla represented by Firmicutes, primarily Clostridia, and Fusobacteria, which appears to be distinct from mammalian, fish, and other reptile phyla which are generally dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The high abundance of ‘pathogenic’ bacteria, with no apparent consequence to the host’s health, is of great interest and warrants further additional investigation. This will enable expansion of the current understanding of host immune function and how it is modified by host and intestinal microbiome interactions.
AB - The Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) industry began commercially in the 1980s, producing skins for export and crocodile meat as a by-product. Industry research has thus far focused on strategies to improve production efficiency. In the current study, we utilised 16S rRNA sequencing to characterise the intestinal microbiome of Australian saltwater crocodiles. Samples were collected from 13 commercially farmed crocodiles from six sample sites along the length of the intestinal tract. The results indicate a similar microbiome composition to that found in the freshwater alligator, with the dominate phyla represented by Firmicutes, primarily Clostridia, and Fusobacteria, which appears to be distinct from mammalian, fish, and other reptile phyla which are generally dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. The high abundance of ‘pathogenic’ bacteria, with no apparent consequence to the host’s health, is of great interest and warrants further additional investigation. This will enable expansion of the current understanding of host immune function and how it is modified by host and intestinal microbiome interactions.
KW - Saltwater crocodile
KW - Crocodylus porosus
KW - Gastrointestinal tract
KW - Microbiota
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074648878&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00253-019-10143-3
DO - 10.1007/s00253-019-10143-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 31630239
AN - SCOPUS:85074648878
SN - 0175-7598
VL - 103
SP - 8977
EP - 8985
JO - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
JF - Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
IS - 21-22
ER -