家养及大型养殖场鸡肠道微生物菌群及四环素耐药菌多样性的比较研究

本研究分析比较了农家家养鸡与大型养殖场鸡肠道菌群组成及抗四环素抗性基因在肠道菌群中的分布情况。通过454焦磷酸法对细菌16S rRNA V3区进行测序来分析肠道菌群的组成;用平板琼脂法筛选四环素耐药菌株,对其16S rRNA基因全长测序,并与RDP (Ribosomal Database Project)数据库比对进行菌种鉴定;聚合酶链反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)检测常见四环素耐药基因。家养鸡粪便中菌群香农多样性指数为5.321±0.590,养殖场鸡为4.398±0.440,前者显著大于后者(Mann-Whitney U test,P＝0.008)。从家养鸡和养殖场鸡粪便中随机分离到69株和65株四环素耐药菌株,后者四环素耐药菌的种类多于前者。家养鸡较养殖场鸡的肠道菌群更具多样性,而抗生素抗性基因在养殖场鸡的肠道菌群中分布更广泛。结果表明,不同饲养方式对鸡的肠道菌群有影响,对抗生素抗性基因的分布也有一定影响。     

基于不同通用引物比较分析肠道微生物群落变化

肠道微生物对于人体健康的重要作用已经得到广泛证实,目前,对肠道微生物的研究大多采用基于扩增细菌16S rRNA基因V3-V4区的高通量测序分析,对古菌的关注较少。本研究选择了一对可以同时扩增细菌和古菌16S rRNA基因的引物,通过比较人为干扰肠道微生物前后的群落变化,说明这对引物适宜分析人类肠道细菌和古菌群落变化并具有一定优越性。采集志愿者粪便样品,同时用仅能扩增细菌引物 (B引物) 和细菌古菌通用引物 (AB引物) 进行扩增和高通量测序;使用几个常用的rRNA数据库判断引物对细菌的覆盖度和对古菌的扩增能力。结果表明,AB引物在可以展示B引物扩增出的细菌群落的基础上,可以得到肠道中常见的产甲烷古菌的序列,同时也展示出人为干扰肠道微生物前后的群落结构变化。AB引物可以仅通过一次扩增和测序同时分析肠道中的细菌和古菌群落,更加全面展示肠道微生物群落结构,适用于肠道微生物相关研究。     

16S rRNA测序技术在肠道微生物中的应用研究进展

16S rRNA测序是高通量测序依赖的肠道微生物研究方法之一,该方法可以对肠道微生物中的所有菌种进行精确定量,因此正逐渐成为研究肠道微生物菌种丰度变化的主流。肠道微生物16S rRNA测序的应用过程中有两个问题至关重要,一是如何根据需要选择测序方案;二是面对高通量测序得到的海量数据,如何进行生物信息学分析,以得到具有生物学意义的结果。从测序平台、测序片段、测序数据量的选择3个方面讨论了如何选择测序方案,并从序列聚类与注释、群落结构分析、关键分类单位的筛选与功能分析等方面对目前常用的生物信息学分析手段进行综述。     

16S rRNA基因两个可变区对反映肠道菌群多样性与物种鉴定能力的比较分析

【摘 要】 目的 目前基于新一代测序技术开展的人类肠道元基因组学研究已成为微生物学乃至整个生物学中最活跃和最有潜力的学科方向。现阶段绝大部分以肠道菌群为靶标的研究主要基于16S rRNA基因可变区测序。本研究关注的是测序技术发展使得序列的读长能力延长后,选择16S rRNA基因V1-V3区与V3-V5区进行测序所反映的多样性与物种组成信息的异同点。方法 以两个真实的16S rRNA基因全长Sanger测序数据为基础,对其中的V1-V3和V3-V5两种片段进行了模拟数据的分析,将它们分别与16S rRNA基因的全长片段在OTU多样性水平和物种组成信息方面进行比较。结果 结果显示V1-V3区在OTU多样性上较V3-V5区更为接近全长序列;在物种组成表现上,两个可变区鉴定出的大部分的属的丰度与全长序列分析结果一致,但是各自有少数属的丰度结果与全长序列丰度结果存在差异。结论 在多样性分析上,选择V1-V3区片段能得到与全长更为接近的结果;而具体到菌种的组成分析中,V1-V3区和V3-V5区都有其局限性。     

不同运动强度对女游泳运动员肠道菌群的影响

本研究旨在采用高通量测序技术分析不同运动强度对运动员肠道菌群结构的影响。从八一游泳队中随机抽取五名健将级专业运动员(女性,年龄16～19岁)作为研究对象,研究期间运动员的饮食保持相对固定。所有运动员先进行一个月的高强度运动训练,中间间隔一个月后,再进行一个月的低强度运动训练,在两个训练阶段中,每两天采集一次新鲜粪便样品,然后在Illumina Miseq平台对粪便元基因组DNA的16S rRNA基因V3～V4区进行高通量测序分析。基于Bray-Curtis距离的主坐标分析表明,运动员的肠道菌群分布特征及其对运动强度的响应程度均具有明显的个体差异性;不同个体的肠道中响应运动强度的关键细菌类群不同,但大多数属于Firmicutes,且在高强度运动阶段,运动员肠道中均富集一些丁酸盐产生菌,如Blautia、Roseburia、Anaerostipes及Butyricicoccus。本研究表明经过长期的专业训练,运动员的肠道菌群适应了运动刺激并能快速响应运动强度的变化,可能通过富集一些有益菌来保护机体免受高强度训练带来的损伤。     

16S rRNA基因在微生物生态学中的应用

16S rRNA(Small subunit ribosomal RNA)基因是对原核微生物进行系统进化分类研究时最常用的分子标志物(Biomarker),广泛应用于微生物生态学研究中。近些年来随着高通量测序技术及数据分析方法等的不断进步,大量基于16S rRNA基因的研究使得微生物生态学得到了快速发展,然而使用16S rRNA基因作为分子标志物时也存在诸多问题,比如水平基因转移、多拷贝的异质性、基因扩增效率的差异、数据分析方法的选择等,这些问题影响了微生物群落组成和多样性分析时的准确性。对当前使用16S rRNA基因分析微生物群落组成和多样性的进展情况做一总结,重点讨论当前存在的主要问题以及各种分析方法的发展,尤其是与高通量测序技术有关的实验和数据处理问题。     

用于蜜蜂和熊蜂肠道微生物分类的细菌16S rRNA数据库优化

蜜蜂和熊蜂是重要的传粉昆虫, 对农业生产及生态平衡的维持具有重要作用。近年来, 研究发现蜜蜂及熊蜂肠道内含有大量微生物, 其组成简单、特异。正常的肠道微生物群落对蜜蜂的生长、激素调节、致病菌抵抗等具有重要作用。随着高通量测序的发展, 研究者们也可快速获得传粉蜂肠道微生物组成, 这给生物多样性和物种保护及蜂类健康等的研究带来了便捷。但是由于蜜蜂和熊蜂肠道微生物群落均由特殊菌种组成, 目前的细菌16S rRNA数据库无法对其进行准确的分类, 并且部分东方蜜蜂(Apis cerana)特有的肠道微生物菌种缺乏16S rRNA序列信息。本文从来源于5个不同省份的东方蜜蜂肠道中分离得到在东方蜜蜂中普遍含有的Apibacter菌属纯菌, 获取其全长16S rRNA序列, 并对目前蜜蜂和熊蜂肠道的5个核心菌种的分类进行了综述, 对其分类和命名进行了修正。根据蜜蜂肠道微生物的明确分类, 在目前常用的SILVA细菌分类数据库基础之上对其进行了命名及分类优化, 并加入东方蜜蜂中普遍含有的Apibacter序列, 从而获得了优化数据库Bee Gut Microbiota-Database (BGM-Db)。通过1组东方蜜峰及1组西方蜜蜂(Apis mellifera)的肠道菌群高通量测序结果, 分析不同数据库的表现, 我们发现相比于SILVA和Ribosomal Database Project (RDP), BGM-Db对蜜蜂肠道16S rRNA高通量测序短序列实现了菌种级别的分类, 分辨率更高。     

造血干细胞移植术对肠道菌群结构的影响

目的监测造血干细胞移植术（Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,HSCT）前后肠道菌群结构的动态变化。方法收集3例造血干细胞移植患者手术前后8个时间点的粪便样品,提取样品总DNA进行16S rRNA基因的V3区的bar coded 454焦磷酸测序,并用MANOVA、聚类分析、Pearson相关等统计方法对菌群结构的变化进行动态分析。结果 HSCT移植前,经过放、化疗及预防性抗生素治疗,患者的肠道菌群结构和组成发生显著的改变,多样性明显减少;移植4周后,菌群多样性有恢复的趋势,但菌群结构和组成与治疗前仍有明显的差异。整个HSCT过程中,Escherichia/Shigella及Enterococcus属变成肠道中最优势的细菌类群。结论肠道菌群结构在HSCT术前已发生显著的改变,机会致病菌Escherichia/Shigella及Enterococcus属成为HSCT患者肠道中最优势的细菌类群。     

江苏无锡健康与肠病人群肠道脱硫弧菌数量及肠道菌群多样性

[目的]研究息肉、溃疡性结肠炎、直肠结肠癌和健康人群肠道中脱硫弧菌数量的差异,及不同人群肠道菌群的多样性,分析脱硫弧菌数量及肠道菌群多样性与肠道疾病之间的潜在关系.[方法]采用实时荧光定量PCR(RT-PCR)的方法,对58名受试者肠道脱硫弧菌的数量进行定量分析.采用PCR-DGGE技术,对不同人群的肠道脱硫弧菌和肠道菌群结构进行分析,结合16S rRNA V3区测序分析不同人群肠道菌群多样性的差异.[结果]RT-PCR分析显示,所有受试者均为脱硫弧菌阳性,其中息肉(2.9×106cfu/mL)和溃疡性结肠炎人群(1.2×106 cfu/mL)肠道中脱硫弧菌的数量明显高于健康人群(7.0×105 cfu/mL),直肠结肠癌人群(6.8×105 cfu/mL)肠道中脱硫弧菌的数量与健康人群无明显差异.DGGE图谱聚类分析结果表明,肠道疾病人群肠道中脱硫弧菌的菌群相似度较高,而与健康人群之间的差异较大.16S rRNA V3区基因测序显示肠道疾病人群与健康人群在肠道菌群多样性和优势菌群方面均有明显差异.[结论]通过RT-PCR与DGGE相结合的方法,说明肠道脱硫弧菌数量的增多是息肉和溃疡性结肠炎疾病的一个重要特征,且其菌群组成在肠道疾病人群与健康人群之间存在明显差异.与健康人群相比,肠道疾病人群的肠道微生物多样性升高,优势菌群发生偏移,菌群失衡.     

一种新的定量16S rRNA基因扩增子测序方法

近年来,16S扩增子测序技术被广泛应用于肠道微生物菌群结构和多样性研究,同时也常被用于临床样本中未知病原菌的检测。然而其对样本中物种组成的分辨率只能到属水平的相对丰度,且实验过程中多种因素皆可对结果产生一定影响,如样本起始浓度、PCR循环数、扩增引物等。为解决以上问题,本研究采用随机标签和内参法相结合的方法,开发了一套定量16S扩增子测序方法,将常规的16S rRNA编码基因测序结果中的相对丰度转化为绝对定量的拷贝数,有效提高了肠道菌群结构检测的精准性,降低了实验操作对结果的影响,也提高了测序与其他分子生物学方法间的可比性,有利于未来技术的进一步研发和改进。     

小檗碱对大鼠肠道菌群结构的体外影响

目的研究小檗碱在体外对高脂饮食诱导的肥胖、胰岛素抵抗大鼠(HFD)肠道菌群和正常饮食对照大鼠(NCD)肠道菌群结构的体外影响。方法采用体外厌氧培养、PCR-DGGE和454焦磷酸测序技术研究小檗碱对肠道菌群结构和多样性的影响。结果 DGGE指纹图谱和454焦磷酸测序结果都表明,小檗碱可以改变肠道菌群的结构,高剂量的小檗碱可以减少肠道微生物的多样性。应用偏最小二乘法判别模型分析(PLS-DA)挑选与小檗碱相关的细菌类群(OTU),在HFD组中挑选了55个关键OTUs,其中53个被明显抑制或消除,剩余2个分别属于Proteus和Escherichia/Shigella属的OTUs则被小檗碱富集。在NCD组中挑选的51个关键OTUs中,32个被小檗碱抑制,17个被小檗碱富集。被富集的除了属于Klebsielal属的OTU外,还包括可以产生短链脂肪酸的Lactobacillus、Blautia属的OTUs。结论小檗碱可以直接调节肠道菌群的结构,对不同结构的肠道菌群其作用也不相同,不同浓度的小檗碱对肠道菌群的影响有较大差异。高浓度的小檗碱可以抑制大部分细菌的生长(其中有很多为肠道条件致病菌),减少肠道微生物的多样性,富集Enterobacteriaceae科的细菌(Proteus、Escherichia/Shigella、Klebsielal)。相较于HFD组,小檗碱可以显著富集NCD组大鼠肠道菌群中的短链脂肪酸产生菌。     

Analysis of Stomach and Gut Microbiomes of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) from Coastal Louisiana,USA

We used high throughput pyrosequencing to characterize stomach and gut content microbiomes of Crassostrea virginica, the Easter oyster, obtained from two sites, one in Barataria Bay (Hackberry Bay) and the other in Terrebonne Bay (Lake Caillou), Louisiana, USA. Stomach microbiomes in oysters from Hackberry Bay were overwhelmingly dominated by Mollicutes most closely related to Mycoplasma; a more rich community dominated by Planctomyctes occurred in Lake Caillou oyster stomachs. Gut communities for oysters from both sites differed from stomach communities, and harbored a relatively diverse assemblage of phylotypes. Phylotypes most closely related to Shewanella and a Chloroflexi strain dominated the Lake Caillou and Hackberry Bay gut microbiota, respectively. While many members of the stomach and gut microbiomes appeared to be transients or opportunists, a putative core microbiome was identified based on phylotypes that occurred in all stomach or gut samples only. The putative core stomach microbiome comprised 5 OTUs in 3 phyla, while the putative core gut microbiome contained 44 OTUs in 12 phyla. These results collectively revealed novel microbial communities within the oyster digestive system, the functions of the oyster microbiome are largely unknown. A comparison of microbiomes from Louisiana oysters with bacterial communities reported for other marine invertebrates and fish indicated that molluscan microbiomes were more similar to each other than to microbiomes of polychaetes, decapods and fish.     

Taxonomic and functional microbial signatures of the endemic marine sponge Arenosclera brasiliensis

The endemic marine sponge Arenosclera brasiliensis (Porifera, Demospongiae, Haplosclerida) is a known source of secondary metabolites such as arenosclerins A-C. In the present study, we established the composition of the A. brasiliensis microbiome and the metabolic pathways associated with this community. We used 454 shotgun pyrosequencing to generate approximately 640,000 high-quality sponge-derived sequences (～150 Mb). Clustering analysis including sponge, seawater and twenty-three other metagenomes derived from marine animal microbiomes shows that A. brasiliensis contains a specific microbiome. Fourteen bacterial phyla (including Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Cloroflexi) were consistently found in the A. brasiliensis metagenomes. The A. brasiliensis microbiome is enriched for Betaproteobacteria (e.g., Burkholderia) and Gammaproteobacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas and Alteromonas) compared with the surrounding planktonic microbial communities. Functional analysis based on Rapid Annotation using Subsystem Technology (RAST) indicated that the A. brasiliensis microbiome is enriched for sequences associated with membrane transport and one-carbon metabolism. In addition, there was an overrepresentation of sequences associated with aerobic and anaerobic metabolism as well as the synthesis and degradation of secondary metabolites. This study represents the first analysis of sponge-associated microbial communities via shotgun pyrosequencing, a strategy commonly applied in similar analyses in other marine invertebrate hosts, such as corals and algae. We demonstrate that A. brasiliensis has a unique microbiome that is distinct from that of the surrounding planktonic microbes and from other marine organisms, indicating a species-specific microbiome.     

Phylogenetic classification of short environmental DNA fragments

Metagenomics is providing striking insights into the ecology of microbial communities. The recently developed massively parallel 454 pyrosequencing technique gives the opportunity to rapidly obtain metagenomic sequences at a low cost and without cloning bias. However, the phylogenetic analysis of the short reads produced represents a significant computational challenge. The phylogenetic algorithm CARMA for predicting the source organisms of environmental 454 reads is described. The algorithm searches for conserved Pfam domain and protein families in the unassembled reads of a sample. These gene fragments (environmental gene tags, EGTs), are classified into a higher-order taxonomy based on the reconstruction of a phylogenetic tree of each matching Pfam family. The method exhibits high accuracy for a wide range of taxonomic groups, and EGTs as short as 27 amino acids can be phylogenetically classified up to the rank of genus. The algorithm was applied in a comparative study of three aquatic microbial samples obtained by 454 pyrosequencing. Profound differences in the taxonomic composition of these samples could be clearly revealed.     

Diversity and resilience of the wood‐feeding higher termite Mironasutitermes shangchengensis gut microbiota in response to temporal and diet variations

Termites are considered among the most efficient bioreactors, with high capacities for lignocellulose degradation and utilization. Recently, several studies have characterized the gut microbiota of diverse termites. However, the temporal dynamics of the gut microbiota within a given termite with dietary diversity are poorly understood. Here, we employed 16S rDNA barcoded pyrosequencing analysis to investigate temporal changes in bacterial diversity and richness of the gut microbiota of wood‐feeding higher termite Mironasutitermes shangchengensis under three lignocellulose content‐based diets that feature wood, corn stalks, and filter paper. Compositions of the predominant termite gut residents were largely constant among the gut microbiomes under different diets, but each diet caused specific changes in the bacterial composition over time. Notably, microbial communities exhibited an unexpectedly strong resilience during continuous feeding on both corn stalks and filter paper. Members of five bacterial phyla, that is, Spirochaetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, and Acidobacteria, were strongly associated with the resilience. These findings provide insights into the stability of the gut microbiota in higher termites and have important implications for the future design of robust bioreactors for lignocellulose degradation and utilization.     

Microbial Community Assembly and Succession on Lake Sturgeon Egg Surfaces as a Function of Simulated Spawning Stream Flow Rate

We investigated microbial succession on lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) egg surfaces over the course of their incubation period as a function of simulated stream flow rate. The primary objective was to characterize the microbial community assembly during succession and to examine how simulated stream flow rate affect the successional process. Sturgeon eggs were reared under three flow regimes; high (0.55 m/s), low (0.18 m/s), and variable (0.35 and 0.11 m/s alternating 12 h intervals). Eggs were collected from each flow regime at different egg developmental stages. Microbial community DNA was extracted from egg surface and the communities were examined using 16S rRNA gene-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and 454 pyrosequencing. Analysis of these datasets using principal component analysis revealed that microbial communities were clustered by egg developmental stages (early, middle, and late) regardless of flow regimes. 454 pyrosequencing data suggested that 90–98 % of the microbial communities were composed of the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes throughout succession. β-Protebacteria was more dominant in the early stage, Bacteroidetes became more dominant in the middle stage, and α-Proteobacteria became dominant in the late stage. A total of 360 genera and 5,826 OTUs at 97 % similarity cutoff were associated with the eggs. Midway through egg development, the egg-associated communities of the low flow regime had a higher diversity than those communities developed under high or variable flow regimes. Results show that microbial community turnover occurred during embryogenesis, and stream flow rate influenced the microbial succession processes on the sturgeon egg surfaces.     

Analysis,Optimization and Verification of Illumina-Generated 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Surveys

The exploration of microbial communities by sequencing 16S rRNA genes has expanded with low-cost, high-throughput sequencing instruments. Illumina-based 16S rRNA gene sequencing has recently gained popularity over 454 pyrosequencing due to its lower costs, higher accuracy and greater throughput. Although recent reports suggest that Illumina and 454 pyrosequencing provide similar beta diversity measures, it remains to be demonstrated that pre-existing 454 pyrosequencing workflows can transfer directly from 454 to Illumina MiSeq sequencing by simply changing the sequencing adapters of the primers. In this study, we modified 454 pyrosequencing primers targeting the V4-V5 hyper-variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene to be compatible with Illumina sequencers. Microbial communities from cows, humans, leeches, mice, sewage, and termites and a mock community were analyzed by 454 and MiSeq sequencing of the V4-V5 region and MiSeq sequencing of the V4 region. Our analysis revealed that reference-based OTU clustering alone introduced biases compared to de novo clustering, preventing certain taxa from being observed in some samples. Based on this we devised and recommend an analysis pipeline that includes read merging, contaminant filtering, and reference-based clustering followed by de novo OTU clustering, which produces diversity measures consistent with de novo OTU clustering analysis. Low levels of dataset contamination with Illumina sequencing were discovered that could affect analyses that require highly sensitive approaches. While moving to Illumina-based sequencing platforms promises to provide deeper insights into the breadth and function of microbial diversity, our results show that care must be taken to ensure that sequencing and processing artifacts do not obscure true microbial diversity.     

Coexisting cryptic species of the Litoditis marina complex (Nematoda) show differential resource use and have distinct microbiomes with high intraspecific variability

Differences in resource use or in tolerances to abiotic conditions are often invoked as potential mechanisms underlying the sympatric distribution of cryptic species. Additionally, the microbiome can provide physiological adaptations of the host to environmental conditions. We determined the intra‐ and interspecific variability of the microbiomes of three cryptic nematode species of the Litoditis marina species complex that co‐occur, but show differences in abiotic tolerances. Roche 454 pyrosequencing of the microbial 16S rRNA gene revealed distinct bacterial communities characterized by a substantial diversity (85–513 OTUs) and many rare OTUs. The core microbiome of each species contained only very few OTUs (2–6), and four OTUs were identified as potentially generating tolerance to abiotic conditions. A controlled experiment in which nematodes from two cryptic species (Pm1 and Pm3) were fed with either an E. coli suspension or a bacterial mix was performed, and the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced using the MiSeq technology. OTU richness was 10‐fold higher compared to the 454 data set and ranged between 1118 and 7864. This experiment confirmed the existence of species‐specific microbiomes, a core microbiome with few OTUs, and high interindividual variability. The offered food source affected the bacterial community and illustrated different feeding behaviour between the cryptic species, with Pm3 exhibiting a higher degree of selective feeding than Pm1. Morphologically similar species belonging to the same feeding guild (bacterivores) can thus have substantial differences in their associated microbiomes and feeding strategy, which in turn may have important ramifications for biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships.     

Increased rectal microbial richness is associated with the presence of colorectal adenomas in humans

Differences in the composition of the gut microbial community have been associated with diseases such as obesity, Crohn''s disease, ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer (CRC). We used 454 titanium pyrosequencing of the V1–V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize adherent bacterial communities in mucosal biopsy samples from 33 subjects with adenomas and 38 subjects without adenomas (controls). Biopsy samples from subjects with adenomas had greater numbers of bacteria from 87 taxa than controls; only 5 taxa were more abundant in control samples. The magnitude of the differences in the distal gut microbiota between patients with adenomas and controls was more pronounced than that of any other clinical parameters including obesity, diet or family history of CRC. This suggests that sequence analysis of the microbiota could be used to identify patients at risk for developing adenomas.     

Metagenomic profile of the bacterial communities associated with Ixodes ricinus ticks

Assessment of the microbial diversity residing in arthropod vectors of medical importance is crucial for monitoring endemic infections, for surveillance of newly emerging zoonotic pathogens, and for unraveling the associated bacteria within its host. The tick Ixodes ricinus is recognized as the primary European vector of disease-causing bacteria in humans. Despite I. ricinus being of great public health relevance, its microbial communities remain largely unexplored to date. Here we evaluate the pathogen-load and the microbiome in single adult I. ricinus by using 454- and Illumina-based metagenomic approaches. Genomic DNA-derived sequences were taxonomically profiled using a computational approach based on the BWA algorithm, allowing for the identification of known tick-borne pathogens at the strain level and the putative tick core microbiome. Additionally, we assessed and compared the bacterial taxonomic profile in nymphal and adult I. ricinus pools collected from two distinct geographic regions in Northern Italy by means of V6-16S rRNA amplicon pyrosequencing and community based ecological analysis. A total of 108 genera belonging to representatives of all bacterial phyla were detected and a rapid qualitative assessment for pathogenic bacteria, such as Borrelia, Rickettsia and Candidatus Neoehrlichia, and for other bacteria with mutualistic relationship or undetermined function, such as Wolbachia and Rickettsiella, was possible. Interestingly, the ecological analysis revealed that the bacterial community structure differed between the examined geographic regions and tick life stages. This finding suggests that the environmental context (abiotic and biotic factors) and host-selection behaviors affect their microbiome.Our data provide the most complete picture to date of the bacterial communities present within I. ricinus under natural conditions by using high-throughput sequencing technologies. This study further demonstrates a novel detection strategy for the microbiomes of arthropod vectors in the context of epidemiological and ecological studies.