biostudies-literatureUnknown12Chen R<i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i> (<i>R. roxellana</i>) is an endangered primate species, and its infant survival rate in captivity is extremely low. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the gut microbiota from 8 infants (14-18 days old), 12 juveniles/subadults (2-5 years old), and 12 adults of <i>R. roxellana</i> (7-14 years old), which were kept at the Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China. Through the 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, we found the gut microbiota richness and beta diversity in captive infant <i>R. roxellana</i> were significantly lower than those in the non-infant groups. The relative abundance of Firmicutes positively correlated with increasing age, whereas the abundance of <i>Shigella/Escherichia</i> and <i>Akkermansia</i> was significantly higher in the infants and exhibited a decreasing trend with age. Meanwhile, several potential pathogenic bacteria, including <i>Clostridium perfringens</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, and <i>Shigella flexneri,</i> among others, were found to be abundant in the infant samples following the cultivable bacteria isolation. This research preliminarily investigated the gut microbiota development of captive <i>R. roxellana</i> and provided a valuable theoretical foundation for improving the healthy breeding of captive infant <i>R. roxellana.</i>Frontiers in veterinary science1683047https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12604355biostudies-literatureThe variation of gut microbiota in captive Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys (<i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i>) from infancy to adulthood.PMC12604355Liu XHong LDeng CGuo LWang SLv RWang GSun WXu XChen RLi MLiu GfalseThe variation of gut microbiota in captive Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys (<i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i>) from infancy to adulthood.<i>Rhinopithecus roxellana</i> (<i>R. roxellana</i>) is an endangered primate species, and its infant survival rate in captivity is extremely low. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the gut microbiota from 8 infants (14-18 days old), 12 juveniles/subadults (2-5 years old), and 12 adults of <i>R. roxellana</i> (7-14 years old), which were kept at the Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China. Through the 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, we found the gut microbiota richness and beta diversity in captive infant <i>R. roxellana</i> were significantly lower than those in the non-infant groups. The relative abundance of Firmicutes positively correlated with increasing age, whereas the abundance of <i>Shigella/Escherichia</i> and <i>Akkermansia</i> was significantly higher in the infants and exhibited a decreasing trend with age. Meanwhile, several potential pathogenic bacteria, including <i>Clostridium perfringens</i>, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, and <i>Shigella flexneri,</i> among others, were found to be abundant in the infant samples following the cultivable bacteria isolation. This research preliminarily investigated the gut microbiota development of captive <i>R. roxellana</i> and provided a valuable theoretical foundation for improving the healthy breeding of captive infant <i>R. roxellana.</i>2025-01-01T00:00:00Z20252026-06-05T12:51:32.812Z2026-05-17T03:07:47.271ZS-EPMC126043554123046110.3389/fvets.2025.1683047