Respiratory bacteriome and its predicted functional profiles in blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus).

ABSTRACT: The respiratory microbiome plays a critical role in the health of organisms and studying it in natural populations can reveal interactions between hosts and their environment, as well as help predict responses to environmental stressors. We characterized the core respiratory bacteriome and functional profiles of Eastern North Pacific blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) sampled in the Gulf of California using next-generation sequencing. Our compositional analysis identified 15 dominant bacterial phyla in the respiratory tract, with Proteobacteria (34.44%), Firmicutes (26.98%), Bacteroidota (20.26%), Fusobacteriota (7.61%), and Actinobacteria (5.55%) as the most abundant. Nineteen ASVs, representing 12 bacterial genera (primarily Corynebacterium, Oceanivirga, Tenacibaculum, and Psychrobacter

SUBMITTER: Dominguez-Sanchez CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12738705 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature