Exploring bacterial and eukaryotic communities in the gut microbiota of urban and rural cats (Felis catus) in Colombia.

ABSTRACT: Cats are essential companions to humans, offering emotional support while potentially harboring infectious agents. Understanding the gut microbiota of domestic cats (Felis catus) is critical for advancing feline health and examining environmental influences on microbial composition. This study utilized 16S and 18S rRNA sequencing to investigate bacterial and eukaryotic communities in the feces of 30 cats from two Colombian regions: urban Bogotá and rural Boyacá. Key bacterial taxa included Collinsella, Bifidobacterium, and Alloprevotella in Bogotá, while Romboutsia, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, and Turicibacter predominated in Boyacá. Similarly, fungal genera such as Candida and Malassezia were prevalent across all samples, with geographic variations observed for Blastocystis, which was mo

SUBMITTER: Paez-Triana L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12436569 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature