The microbiome of a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in Portugal.
Infectious diseases with epizootic consequences have not been fully studied in marine mammals. Presently, the unprecedented depth of sequencing, made available by high-throughput approaches, allows detailed comparisons of the microbiome in health and disease. This is the first report of the striped dolphin microbiome in different body sites. Samples from one striped female edematous dolphin were acquired from a variety of body niches, including the blowhole, oral cavity, oral mucosa, tongue, stomach, intestines and genital mucosa. Detailed 16S rRNA analysis of over half a million sequences identified 235 OTUs. Beta diversity analyses indicated that microbial communities vary in structure and cluster by sample origin. Pathogenic, Gram-negative, facultative and obligate anaerobic taxa were significantly detected, including Cetobacterium, Fusobacterium and Ureaplasma. Phocoenobacter and Arcobacter dominated the oral-type samples, while Cardiobacteriaceae and Vibrio were associated with the blowhole and Photobacterium were abundant in the gut. We report for the first time the association of Epulopiscium with a marine mammal gut. The striped dolphin microbiota shows variation in structure and diversity according to the organ type. The high dominance of Gram-negative anaerobic pathogens evidences a cetacean microbiome affected by human-related bacteria.
Microbial Ecology and Genomics Lab, Department of Natural Sciences, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus, P.O. Box 191293, 00919-1293 San Juan, Puerto Rico. Electronic address: fgodoy@intermetro.edu.
Filipa
F
Godoy-Vitorino
Microbial Ecology and Genomics Lab, Department of Natural Sciences, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus, P.O. Box 191293, 00919-1293 San Juan, Puerto Rico. Electronic address: arnold.rodriguezh@intermetro.edu.
Arnold
A
Rodriguez-Hilario
Department of Biology and Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: analves.bq@gmail.com.
Ana Luísa
AL
Alves
Department of Biology and Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: filipagoncalves.ba@gmail.com.
Filipa
F
Gonçalves
Microbial Ecology and Genomics Lab, Department of Natural Sciences, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus, P.O. Box 191293, 00919-1293 San Juan, Puerto Rico. Electronic address: beatrizm.cabrerac@intermetro.edu.
Beatriz
B
Cabrera-Colon
Department of Biology and Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: cmesquita@bio.uminho.pt.
Cristina Sousa
CS
Mesquita
Department of Biology and Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: pcastro@bio.uminho.pt.
Pedro
P
Soares-Castro
Department of Biology and Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal; Portuguese Wildlife Society (SPVS), Quiaios Field Station, Apartado 16 EC Quiaios, 3081-101 Figueira da Foz, Portugal. Electronic address: mctferreira@socpvs.org.
Marisa
M
Ferreira
Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: amarcalo@gmail.com.
Ana
A
Marçalo
Portuguese Wildlife Society (SPVS), Quiaios Field Station, Apartado 16 EC Quiaios, 3081-101 Figueira da Foz, Portugal; Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: jvv@bio.uminho.pt.
José
J
Vingada
Portuguese Wildlife Society (SPVS), Quiaios Field Station, Apartado 16 EC Quiaios, 3081-101 Figueira da Foz, Portugal; Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: catarina.eira@ua.pt.
Catarina
C
Eira
Department of Biology and Centre for Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA), University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-087 Braga, Portugal. Electronic address: psantos@bio.uminho.pt.
Pedro Miguel
PM
Santos
D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D064307:Microbiota; D010802:Phylogeny; D011174:Portugal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D050706:Stenella / Q000382:microbiology*
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
16S rRNA; Cetacean; Metagenomics; Microbiota; Striped dolphin