A Survey of Local Feline Gut Microbiome

To date, numerous studies have shown that the gut microbiome of Felidae is a complex environment containing a wide array of beneficial and pathogenic species.  For example, genera such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter and Toxoplasma may be present as commensals, mutualists and/or parasites within a feline.  Consequently, some microbes may pose a health hazard via zoonotic transmission amongst various species, including humans, that are in close or frequent contact with cats or their feces.  Being that Hawai`i is a unique and mild environ that contains large populations of feral animals such as rodents, mongooses and pigs; it is possible that the gut microbiomes of local felines may contain persistent or unique bacterial species as compared to those found in cats within the contiguous United States.  To address this hypothesis, a survey of the local feline gut microflora was conducted.  Genomic DNA was extracted from fresh stool samples of domestic cats, feral cats and tigers.  Subsequent amplification was performed using primers specific to the eubacterial 16S rRNA gene, and the amplicons were then inserted into a cloning vector.  The recombinant DNA was amplified once again and restriction fragment length polymorphism methodology employed to identify unique targets that were further characterized via DNA sequencing.  This study serves to identify and characterize bacterial species found within the gut of local felines, and potentially provides insight into regional bacterial reservoirs and aide in the control of pathogens transmitted from felines to humans.