Characterization and metagenomics analysis of the oral microbiome of Pteropus medius: Insights from next-generation sequencing

Abstract

The present study was planned to characterize the oral microbiome of Pteropus medius using next-generation sequencing and to evaluate its potential zoonotic implications. Six specimens were sampled from rural and urban sites namely Kasur, Okara and Lahore, Punjab-Pakistan. The comparative metagenomic analysis revealed significant differences in the microbial composition between rural and urban roosting sites. Bats that were captured from the rural sites had dominance of Proteobacteria (81%) followed by Firmicutes (16%) and Actinobacteria (3%). The bacterial genera such as Escherichia (76%), Streptococcus (8%) and Staphylococcus (5%) were identified. In contrast, urban sampling sites showed lower relative abundance of Proteobacteria (68%) followed by Actinobacteria (9%). The bacterial genera including Cellvibrio (51%), Sphingobacterium (11%), and Stenotrophomonas (9%) were identified. The identification of pathogenic genera viz., Escherichia, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus highlights the potential zoonotic threat posed by Pteropus medius. It can be concluded that there is a need for continuous monitoring and assessment of the microbial communities in P. medius populations mostly in the areas with high human-bat interactions. The small sample size and restricted geographical scope is the limitation of the present study so future research with larger sample sizes and more diverse sites could provide a more detailed understanding of the environmental and ecological factors influencing the P. medius microbiome. Moreover, functional analysis of the identified bacterial taxa such as their role in metabolism, immunity and pathogen resistance could provide detailed insights into the health implications and help understand the mechanisms of pathogen transmission from bats to humans.