Captivity Shapes the Gut Microbiota of Andean Bears: Insights into Health Surveillance.

ABSTRACT: The Andean bear is an endemic species of the tropical Andes who has an almost exclusively plant-based diet. Since herbivorous mammals do not carry enzymes for fiber degradation, the establishment of symbiosis with cellulolytic microorganisms in their gastrointestinal (GI) tract is necessary to help them fulfill their nutritional needs. Furthermore, as described for other mammals, a stable, diverse, and balanced gut microbial composition is an indicator of a healthy status of the host; under disturbances this balance can be lost, leading to potential diseases of the host. The goal of this study was to describe the gut microbiota of wild and captive Andean bears and determine how habitat status influences the composition and diversity of the gut symbiotic community. Fecal samples from wild (

SUBMITTER: Borbon-Garcia A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5507997 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature