Determination of bacterial community composition in the distal gut of mink (Mustela vison) by high-throughput sequencing

Abstract:

[Objective] The aim of the study was to determine the composition and diversity of microbial communities in the distal gut of mink (Mustela vison). [Methods] The composition and diversity of distal gut content bacteria were investigated by the high-throughput sequencing. [Results] A total of 146 287 filtered high-quality representing 17 phylum and 167 genus bacterial phylotypes (operational taxonomical units, OTUs) were identified in distal gut contents samples from 10 healthy mink. There are mainly Firmicutes (59.99%), Bacteroidetes (16.2%), Fusobacteria (11.5%), the Actinobacteria (5.9%) and Proteobacteria (5.3%), which has the largest number of Firmicutes. Clostridiales was the most diverse bacterial order in Firmicutes, but Streptococcus, with 50% of all OTUs, was the most diverse bacterial genus in Clostridiales. [Conclusion] The findings of this study will facilitate the next step in understanding the complex phylogenetic diversity of the microbial communities in the intestinal tract of mink.