Objective To analyze the composition of microbial community in gut of elderly male Nycticebus bengalensis, aiming to explore the health impact factors associated with artificial captivity. Methods Fecal samples of 4 adult male Nycticebus bengalensis were collected and the V4 region was amplified using bacterial 16S rDNA universal primers. Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform was used for microbial sequencing analysis. The complexity and similarity of the samples were analyzed using the QIIME software analysis tool. The species structure and abundance of the intestinal flora were analyzed at the phylum and genus levels based on validated data. The PICRUSt software was applied to predict the metabolic function of the flora. Results The results showed that the diversity index (Shannon index) of the flora in the youngest Nycticebus bengalensis was higher than that of the others. PCoA analysis showed that the bacterial community compositions of the four samples had a certain degree of similarity. Bacteria identified in the Nycticebus bengalensis feces included 12 phyla, 18 classes, 28 orders, 49 families, 93 genera, and 59 species. Among them, the dominant phyla were Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes with average relative abundances of 46% and 28%, respectively; The genera Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, and Fusobacterium had higher abundances, with relative abundances of 33%, 6%, and 6%, respectively; The beneficial genus Bifidobacterium was found in all samples, with the highest relative abundance found in the younger Nycticebus bengalensis. PICRUSt function prediction analysis showed that the abundance of the functional genes related to amino acid transport and metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism,was relatively high. Conclusion The use of Illumina NovaSeq high-throughput sequencing technology can comprehensively detect the fecal microbial community of the Nycticebus bengalensis. The bacterial composition of Nycticebus bengalensis has rich diversity. Many bacteria are not identified and have higher relative abundance, which need further study.
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