Feeding ecology of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) in campo animal reserve,Cameroon

A field study on the ecology of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) was carried out for 28 months in Cameroon. Fresh food remnants and large quantities of fresh feces were collected by following the groups. Analyses of these products indicated that fruit (including seeds), monocotyledonous plant leaves and insects (especially ants and termites), were frequently eaten. Mandrills mostly ate the plant and animal foods in the lower forest stratum and on the ground. Fallen seeds and monocotyledonous plant leaves were eaten more frequently in the minor fruiting season than in the major fruiting season presumably to compensate for the shortage of fresh fruit during the former. Daily travel distances were shorter during the minor fruiting season than during the major fruiting season, because in the minor fruiting season mandrills forage for small food items, such as the new leaves and piths of monocotyledons and fallen seeds which are sparsely distributed on the ground, while in the major fruiting season they search for widely distributed food such as fruit. The daily pattern of group movement and a food intake experiment suggest that mandrills move and feed continuously throughout the day. Use of fallen seeds and monocotyledonous plant leaves appears to enable mandrills to maintain a terrestrial life in the tropical rain forest. The feeding and ranging characteristics of mandrills are basically similar to those of other baboon species in open land, though their environments differ extremely.     

圈养雄獐领域行为和粪便睾酮水平变化的关系

2011年8月到2012年4月间,在上海市浦东新区华夏公园獐重引入试点,采用目标取样、扫描取样和全事件记录法,对圈养条件下6只成体雄獐(Hydropotes inermis)的6种领域行为进行观察,并利用放射免疫分析法(RIA)测定雄獐粪便中的睾酮水平变化.结果表明,雄獐的许多领域行为发生频次表现出明显的月间变化,包括打斗、威胁、取代、追逐和粪尿标记;擦额标记行为频次虽月间差异不显著,但与其他领域行为一样在11月份出现频次峰值.发情期(2011年10月～2012年1月)和非发情期(2011年9月、2012年2～4月),打斗、威胁、粪尿标记和擦额标记行为发生频次差异显著;取代和追逐行为频次差异不显著.6种领域行为的发生频次均在发情期明显高于非发情期.粪便睾酮含量在发情期和非发情期差异显著,发情期明显高于非发情期,其含量在12月份达到峰值(51.16±9.85) ng/g.雄獐的威胁、擦额标记、粪尿标记和打斗行为发生频次与睾酮水平呈显著的正相关性,而取代和追逐行为与睾酮水平变化不具有显著相关性.     

粪便微生物宏基因组来源的热稳定性邻苯二酚1,2-双加氧酶异源表达及酶学性质

【目的】克隆倭蜂猴粪便微生物宏基因组的邻苯二酚1,2-双加氧酶基因cat PLCgl,并对该酶进行异源表达及酶学特性研究。【方法】利用宏基因组高通量测序技术获得cat PLCgl,并对其氨基酸序列进行分析。将cat PLCgl重组到载体p EASY-E2中并转化到大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)中异源表达,研究其酶学性质。【结果】cat PLCgl全长852 bp,G+C含量48%,编码283个氨基酸,理论分子量为33.56 k D。重组Cat PLCgl酶学性质分析显示最适作用p H为7.0,其中在p H 7.0–10.0范围内处理1 h后,酶活剩余90%以上;最适作用温度为40°C,在25°C和40°C条件下稳定性较好,耐受210 h酶活性几乎不变。重组酶在最适条件下的动力学参数K_m、V_(max)和k_(cat)分别为24.9μmol/L、8.3 mmol/(min·g)和13.7 s~(-1);Fe~(2+)、Hg~(2+)、Cu~(2+)、Triton X-100、SDS、Ag+强烈抑制该酶活性,而其它金属离子及有机试剂影响较小。【结论】从倭蜂猴粪便微生物宏基因组中克隆得到邻苯二酚1,2-双加氧酶基因cat PLCgl,并对重组Cat PLCgl酶学性质进行研究,该酶具有较好的热稳定性和耐碱性,在降解环境中的邻苯二酚和生产顺,顺-己二烯二酸方面具有应用潜力。     

普通长翼蝠食性结构及其回声定位与体型特征

在普通长翼蝠(Miniopterus fuliginosus)的捕食区内用灯诱法和网捕法调查潜在食物(昆虫)种类; 用粪便分析法鉴定普通长翼蝠的食物组成,发现其主要捕食体型较大的鳞翅目和鞘翅目昆虫,体积百分比分别为55%和38%.普通长翼蝠具有相对狭长的翼,翼展比为6.94 ± 0.13;翼载为(9.85 ± 0.83)N/m2,相对较大.飞行状态下普通长翼蝠的回声定位叫声为调频下扫型,声脉冲时程为(1.45 ± 0.06)ms,脉冲间隔为(63.08 ± 21.55)ms,主频较低,为(44.50 ± 2.26)kHz.研究表明,普通长翼蝠的形态特征和回声定位特征与其捕食行为有着密切的联系.     

Viral metagenomics reveals diverse viruses in the fecal samples of children with diarrhea

Diarrhea is the third leading cause of death in developing countries in children under the age of five. About half a million children die of diarrhea every year, most of which in developing countries. Viruses are the main pathogen of diarrhea. In China, the fecal virome of children with diarrhea has been rarely studied. Using an unbiased viral metagenomics approach, we analyzed the fecal virome in children with diarrhea. Many DNA or RNA viruses associated with diarrhea identified in those fecal samples were mainly from six families of Adenoviridae, Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, Parvoviridae, Picornaviridae, and Reoviridae. Among them, the family of Caliciviridae accounts for the largest proportion of 78.42%, following with Adenoviridae (8.94%) and Picornaviridae (8.36%). In addition to those diarrhea-related viruses that have already been confirmed to cause human diarrhea, the viruses not associated with diarrhea were also identified including anellovirus and picobirnavirus. This study increased our understanding of diarrheic children fecal virome and provided valuable information for the prevention and treatment of viral diarrhea in this area.     

Metagenomics analysis of the fecal microbiota in Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) and Green pheasants (Phasianus versicolor) using next generation sequencing

Pheasant reintroduction and conservation efforts have been in place in Pakistan since the 1980 s, yet there is still a scarcity of data on pheasant microbiome and zoonosis. Instead of growing vast numbers of bacteria in the laboratory, to investigate the fecal microbiome, pheasants (green and ring neck pheasant) were analyzed using 16S rRNA metagenomics and using IonS5TMXL sequencing from two flocks more than 10 birds. Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) cluster analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis was performed using Mothur software against the SSUrRNA database of SILVA and the MUSCLE (Version 3.8.31) software. Results of the analysis showed that firmicutes were the most abundant phylum among the top ten phyla, in both pheasant species, followed by other phyla such as actinobacteria and proteobacteria in ring necked pheasant and bacteroidetes in green necked pheasant. Bacillus was the most relatively abundant genus in both pheasants followed by Oceanobacillus and Teribacillus for ring necked pheasant and Lactobacillus for green necked pheasant. Because of their well-known beneficial characteristics, these genus warrants special attention. Bird droppings comprise germs from the urinary system, gut, and reproductive sites, making it difficult to research each anatomical site at the same time. We conclude that metagenomic analysis and classification provides baseline information of the pheasant fecal microbiome that plays a role in disease and health.     

人粪样中雌马酚含量调查及其与菌群结构相关性研究

目的 调查人粪样中大豆素和雌马酚的含量及其与年龄和性别的关系;了解人粪样中雌马酚含量高低与菌群结构的关系.方法 采用高效液相色谱(HPLC)对来自杭州的125份粪样进行大豆素和雌马酚含量检测,并使用生物统计学软件SPSS进行统计学分析;使用PCR-DGGE对粪样中雌马酚含量的高低与菌群结构的关系进行初步研究.结果 HPLC检测结果表明,尽管粪样中雌马酚含量的高低与性别关系不大,但却与年龄大小存在很大的相关性,41 ～50岁年龄组的粪样中雌马酚含量明显高于其他年龄组.PCR-DGGE结果表明,粪样中雌马酚含量的高低与菌群结构无明显相关性.结论 人粪样中雌马酚含量的高低与年龄大小有很强的相关性.     

粪菌移植和益生菌在复发性艰难梭菌感染和炎症性肠病中的应用进展

聚集在人体肠道的菌群对维持机体正常的生理功能具有重要作用,肠道菌群的失调会导致复发性艰难梭菌感染及炎症性肠病等疾病。粪菌移植是将健康供者肠道内的功能菌群转移到患病个体的肠道内,重建患者的肠道微生态环境,从而达到治疗的目的。研究发现,粪菌移植在治疗复发性艰难梭菌感染方面表现出较高的治愈率,同时对炎症性肠病有积极的疗效。益生菌是一类能发挥健康作用的活性微生物,当机体摄入足够数量的益生菌,益生菌能在宿主肠道内定植,可以恢复并维持宿主肠道菌群的平衡。益生菌可作为预防复发性艰难梭菌感染的辅助治疗,同时在缓解炎症性肠病方面也有较好的效果。     

粪菌移植对非酒精性脂肪肝大鼠肠黏膜的保护作用

目的探讨粪菌移植(fecal microbiota transplantation,FMT)对非酒精性脂肪性肝病(nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,NAFLD)大鼠肠黏膜屏障的保护作用。方法健康雄性SD大鼠30只,随机分为3组:正常对照组(control group,C组)10只,予正常饮食;高脂模型组(model group,M组)10只、粪菌移植治疗组(treatment group,T组)10只,M组和T组均予高脂饮食。T组予粪菌液灌胃2 mL/次,隔日1次,粪菌液灌胃的前一天晚上及当天早上均予奥美拉唑镁肠溶片灌胃;C组及M组同时予奥美拉唑及生理盐水灌胃。喂养12周后实验结束,测定血中TG、ALT、AST水平;苏丹黑B染色观察肝脏病理学变化;取回肠末端肠组织行HE染色及扫描电镜观察肠黏膜结构变化。结果与M组大鼠相比,T组血清TG、ALT、AST水平降低,差异有统计学意义(均P0.05)。T组大鼠肝脏苏丹黑B染色可见肝细胞内脂肪沉积明显减少,脂肪变性程度较M组减轻。T组大鼠肠组织HE染色肠绒毛轻度水肿,排列较整齐、紧密。扫描电镜中可见T组大鼠肠绒毛形态较饱满,排列比较紧密,微绒毛之间的间隙变小。结论粪菌移植能改善肝功能,减轻肝脏脂肪变,降低肠道通透性,改善肠黏膜屏障功能。     

Noninvasive Method of DNA Isolation From Fecal Epithelial Tissue of Dairy Animals

A novel noninvasive genomic DNA isolation protocol from fecal tissue, by the proteinase K digestion and guanidine hydrochloride extraction method, was assessed for the genotyping of cattle and buffalo. The epithelial tissues present on the surface of the feces were used as source for isolation of genomic DNA. The DNA isolated from fecal tissue was found to be similar as those obtained from other body tissues such as skin, brain, liver, kidney, and muscle. The quality of DNA was checked by agarose gel electrophoresis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We successfully amplified a 320 bp MHC class II DRB gene and a 125 bp mt-DNA D-loop region from isolated genomic DNA of cattle. Thus, the DNA isolated using this method was suitable for common molecular biology methods, such as restriction enzyme digestion and genotyping of dairy animals through PCR.