scholarly journals Variation in the microbiome of the urogenital tract of female koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with and without ‘wet bottom’

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair R. Legione ◽  
Jemima Amery-Gale ◽  
Michael Lynch ◽  
Leesa Haynes ◽  
James R. Gilkerson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Sign ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Abundant Otus ◽  
Causative Agents ◽  
Tract Disease ◽  
Tract Infections

AbstractKoalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are iconic Australian marsupials currently threatened by several processes. Infectious reproductive tract disease, caused byChlamydia pecorum, and koala retrovirus infection are considered key drivers of population decline. The clinical sign of ‘wet bottom’, a staining of the rump associated with urinary incontinence, is often caused by chlamydial urogenital tract infections. However, wet bottom has been recorded in koalas free ofC. pecorum, suggesting other causative agents in those individuals. Current understanding of the bacterial community of the koala urogenital tract is limited. We used 16S rRNA diversity profiling to investigate the microbiome of the urogenital tract of ten female koalas. This was to produce baseline data on the female koala urogenital tract microbiome, and to undertake preliminary investigations of potential causative agents of wet bottom, other thanC. pecorum. Five urogenital samples were processed from koalas presenting with wet bottom and five were clinically normal. We detected thirteen phyla across the ten samples, withFirmicutesoccurring at the highest relative abundance (77.6%). The orderLactobacillales, within theFirmicutes, comprised 70.3% of the reads from all samples. After normalising reads using DESeq2 and testing for significant differences (P< 0.05), there were 25 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) more commonly found in one group over the other. The familiesAerococcaceaeandTissierellaceaeboth had four significantly differentially abundant OTUs. These fourTissierellaceaeOTUs were all significantly more abundant in koalas with wet bottom.ImportanceThis study provides an essential foundation for future investigations of both the normal microflora of the koala urogenital tract, and better understanding of the causes of koala urogenital tract disease. Koalas in the states of Queensland and New South Wales are currently undergoing decline, and have been classified as vulnerable populations. Urogenital tract disease is a leading cause of hospital admissions in these states, yet previously little was known of the normal flora of this site. Wet bottom is a clinical sign of urogenital tract disease, which is often assumed to be caused byC. pecorumand treated accordingly. Our research highlights that other organisms may be causing wet bottom, and these potential aetiological agents need to be further investigated to fully address the problems this species faces.

Age-Specific Fertility in Three Populations of the Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus Goldfuss, in Victoria

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
RW Martin
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Reproductive Failure ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Tract Disease ◽  
Poor Nutrition

Mean fertility in three koala populations in Victoria in 1979 varied from 63% on French I, to 13% at Walkerville and 22% on Phillip I. Similar differences between the two island populations have existed for at least 30 y. A method of assigning animals to age classes on the basis of the wear patterns on the premolar was devised and reproduction in 1979 examined on an age-specific basis. The low fertility was associated with a reproductive failure among females older than 3 y. On Phillip I. this is thought to be due to a widespread reproductive tract disease in females, possibly caused by ingestion of phytooestrogens from eucalypt foliage. At Walkerville a combination of reproductive tract disease, poor nutrition and heavy tick burdens is thought to be the cause.

scholarly journals Follicular Bronchiolitis in a Nigerian Female Child: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Nzechukwu Zimudo Ikeri ◽  
Godwin O. Umerah ◽  
Christopher Emeka Ugwu ◽  
Olugbenga Olusoji ◽  
Adekunle Adeyomoye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Female Child ◽  
Small Airways ◽  
Follicular Bronchiolitis ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract Disease ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Tract Disease ◽  
Tract Infections

Small airways diseases are not uncommon in childhood. They account for about 28.4% of hospital admissions for lower respiratory tract infections in South West Nigeria, most of which are due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Noninfectious causes of small airways diseases, on the other hand, are poorly recognized and rarely feature in the differential diagnoses of chronic/recurrent lower respiratory tract disease in our environment. We present a case of follicular bronchiolitis in a 2.5-year-old Nigerian female who had left upper lobectomy on account of recurrent cough and progressive shortness of breath.

scholarly journals Reproductive tract microbiota of women in childbearing age shifts upon gynecological infections and menstrual cycle

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Cheng ◽  
Yan Gao ◽  
Qing Xia ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Xiuzhen Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Reproductive Tract Infections ◽  
Normal Women ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Background This study was undertaken to discover whether the vaginal microbe of women at childbearing age is different among groups defined by urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle, respectively. Results This was a multiple case-control study of women at childbearing age who were assigned to case or control groups according to their states of urogenital tract infections. The participants were also grouped by childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Vaginal swabs were collected and stored at − 70 °C until assayed. The V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was amplified using PCR and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We tested the hypothesis of whether the relative abundance of microbial species in vaginal microbiota was varied with urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle. The vaginal microbial richness (Alpha diversity measured by PD_whole tree) was decreased in normal women (without reproductive tract infections) than in those with bacterial vaginosis (BV), and decreased in pregnant women than in other groups of non-pregnancy. Similarly, women from groups of normal and in pregnancy had lower beta diversity on measure of unweighted_unifrac distance in comparison to those of infected and non-pregnant. The top 10 genus relative abundance, especially Lactobacillus, which was the most dominant genus with the relative abundance of 71.55% among all samples, did not differ significantly between groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle analyzed by ANOVA and nonparametric kruskal_wallis. Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus helveticus have the most abundance, totally account for 97.92% relative abundance of genus Lactobacillus. We also found that a higher L.helveticus/L.iners ratio is more likely to present in normal women than in the infected and in pregnant than in non-pregnant, although these comparisons lack statistical significance. Conclusions The relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa in vaginal microbial communities of women at childbearing age were not different among groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Women from groups of in pregnancy and without reproductive tract infections had lower alpha and beta diversity. The composition of the main lactobacillus species may shift upon phases of a menstrual cycle and the status of reproductive tract infections.

Overbrowsing, and decline of a population of the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, in Victoria. II. Population condition

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
The Body ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Tract Disease

Juvenile and sub-adult koalas from a population at Walkerville, Victoria, which was severely defoliating its preferred food trees, had significantly lower growth rates than animals from a population on French Island, Victoria. Mature males from Walkerville were significantly smaller than French Island males in most age classes. There was no significant difference between the body weights of mature females of the 2 populations. Haematological tests on the females showed that nutritionally induced anaemia was significant in the Walkerville animals by Jan. 1981. Heavy tick loads probably exacerbated the effects of the food shortage on the animals' condition, but were not the cause of the anaemia. The low fertility rate of the Walkerville females appeared to be due to their poor nutritional state and to reproductive tract disease.

scholarly journals Chlamydia pecorum gastrointestinal tract infection associations with urogenital tract infections in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. e0206471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Phillips ◽  
Amy Robbins ◽  
Joanne Loader ◽  
Jonathan Hanger ◽  
Rosemary Booth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Tract Infection ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽  
Chlamydia Pecorum ◽  
Tract Infections

scholarly journals Reproductive tract microbiota of women in childbearing age shifts upon type of gynecological infections and phase in physiological cycle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Gao ◽  
Lijuan Cheng ◽  
Qing Xia ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Xiuzhen Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Reproductive Tract Infections ◽  
Normal Women ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Background: The association of the normal physiological cycle to the structural pattern of microbiota in reproductive tract of women at reproductive age has not been extensively explored. This study was undertaken to determine whether the vaginal microbes of women at childbearing age is different among groups defined by urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle, respectively.Results: This was a multiple case-control study of women at childbearing age who were assigned to case or control groups according to their states of urogenital tract infections. The participants were also grouped by childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Samples of vaginal swabs were collected and stored at -70℃ until assayed. The V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA genes were amplified using PCR and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We tested the hypothesis of whether the relative abundance of microbial species in vaginal microbiota was different between women with different urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle. We showed that the vaginal microbial richness(Alpha diversity measured by PD_whole tree) was decreased in normal women(without reproductive tract infections) than in those with bacterial vaginosis (BV), and decreased in pregnant women than in other groups of non-pregnancy. Similarly, women from groups of normal and in pregnancy had lower beta diversity on measure of unweighted_unifrac distance in comparison to those of uninfected and non-pregnant. The top 10 genus relative abundance, especially that Lactobacillus was the most dominant genus with the relative abundance of 71.55% among all samples, did not differ significantly between groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle analyzed by ANOVA and nonparametric kruskal_wallis.Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus helveticus have the most abundance, totally account for 97.92% relative abundance of genus Lactobacillus. It is proposed that a higher L.helveticus/L.iners ratio is more likely to present in normal women than in the infected and in pregnant than in non-pregnant, although this comparison lacks statistical significance.Conclusions: The relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa in vaginal microbial communities of women at childbearing age, characterized with 16S rRNA gene sequence and QIIME based analysis, were not different among groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Women from groups of in pregnancy and without reproductive tract infections had lower alpha and beta diversity. The compositional ratio of the main lactobacillus species may shift depending on the normal physiological cycle and reproductive tract infections.

The effect of a dietary urine acidifier as a solution to improve / prevent infertility problems in sows on a commercial farm in Cyprus

2007 ◽  
Vol 2007 ◽  
pp. 206-206
Author(s):  
C. C. Kyriacou ◽  
G. M. Jones ◽  
B. Ruel ◽  
A. Hainz ◽  
S. A. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Phosphoric Acid ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Reproductive Failure ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Urinary Ph ◽  
Tract Infections

Reproductive problems in sows are the cause for at least 15% of the sow culls in Cyprus. The main cause of reproductive failure is urogenital tract infections (UTI), caused by pathogenic bacteria entering the sow’s reproductive tract, especially at risk times of farrowing and serving when the cervix is open (Almond and Richards 1992). Indigenous people have used cranberry preparations to prevent UTIs and other illness for centuries (http://www.cranberryinstitute.org/health/urinarytract.htm). An endogenous mechanism of the sow as protection against bacterial infections in the urogenital tract is the urinary pH, which can be manipulated by dietary means affecting the dietary anion-cation balance (Beker 1999). The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of a dietary urine acidifier based on acidic acting substances (mixture of phosphoric acid and selected ingredients containing anions) and cranberry extract on sow urine parameters (pH, leucocytes and nitrates) and sow fertility parameters.

scholarly journals Reproductive Tract Microbiota of Women in Childbearing Age Shifts Upon Type of Gynecological Infections and Phase in Physiological Cycle

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Gao ◽  
Lijuan Cheng ◽  
Qing Xia ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Xiuzhen Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Reproductive Tract Infections ◽  
Normal Women ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Background: The association of the normal physiological cycle to the structural pattern of microbiota in reproductive tract of women at reproductive age has not been extensively explored. This study was undertaken to determine whether the vaginal microbes of women at childbearing age is different among groups defined by urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle, respectively.Results: This was a multiple case-control study of women at childbearing age who were assigned to case or control groups according to their states of urogenital tract infections. The participants were also grouped by childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Samples of vaginal swabs were collected and stored at -70℃ until assayed. The V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA genes were amplified using PCR and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We tested the hypothesis of whether the relative abundance of microbial species in vaginal microbiota was different between women with different urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle. We showed that the vaginal microbial richness(Alpha diversity measured by PD_whole tree) was decreased in normal women(without reproductive tract infections) than in those with bacterial vaginosis (BV), and decreased in pregnant women than in other groups of non-pregnancy. Similarly, women from groups of normal and in pregnancy had lower beta diversity on measure of unweighted_unifrac distance in comparison to those of uninfected and non-pregnant. The top 10 genus relative abundance, especially that Lactobacillus was the most dominant genus with the relative abundance of 71.55% among all samples, did not differ significantly between groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle analyzed by ANOVA and nonparametric kruskal_wallis. Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus helveticus have the most abundance, totally account for 97.92% relative abundance of genus Lactobacillus. It is proposed that a higher L.helveticus/L.iners ratio is more likely to present in normal women than in the infected and in pregnant than in non-pregnant, although this comparison lacks statistical significance.Conclusions: The relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa in vaginal microbial communities of women at childbearing age, characterized with 16S rRNA gene sequence and QIIME based analysis, were not different among groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Women from groups of in pregnancy and without reproductive tract infections had lower alpha and beta diversity. The compositional ratio of the main lactobacillus species may shift depending on the normal physiological cycle and reproductive tract infections.

scholarly journals Reproductive tract microbiota of women in childbearing age shifts upon type of gynecological infections and phase in physiological cycle

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Gao ◽  
Hongyan Liu ◽  
Lijuan Cheng ◽  
Qing Xia ◽  
Xiuzhen Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Urogenital Tract ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Reproductive Tract Infections ◽  
Normal Women ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Background: The association of the normal physiological cycle to the structural pattern of microbiota in reproductive tract of women at reproductive age has not been extensively explored. This study was undertaken to determine whether the vaginal microbes of women at childbearing age is different among groups defined by urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle, respectively.Results: This was a multiple case-control study of women at childbearing age who were assigned to case or control groups according to their states of urogenital tract infections. The participants were also grouped by childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Samples of vaginal swabs were collected and stored at -70℃ until assayed. The V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA genes were amplified using PCR and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We tested the hypothesis of whether the relative abundance of microbial species in vaginal microbiota was different between women with different urogenital tract infections, childbearing history and menstrual cycle. We showed that the vaginal microbial richness(Alpha diversity measured by PD_whole tree) was decreased in normal women(without reproductive tract infections) than in those with bacterial vaginosis (BV), and decreased in pregnant women than in other groups of non-pregnancy. Similarly, women from groups of normal and in pregnancy had lower beta diversity on measure of unweighted_unifrac distance in comparison to those of uninfected and non-pregnant. The top 10 genus relative abundance, especially that Lactobacillus was the most dominant genus with the relative abundance of 71.55% among all samples, did not differ significantly between groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle analyzed by ANOVA and nonparametric kruskal_wallis.Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus helveticus have the most abundance, totally account for 97.92% relative abundance of genus Lactobacillus. It is proposed that a higher L.helveticus/L.iners ratio is more likely to present in normal women than in the infected and in pregnant than in non-pregnant, although this comparison lacks statistical significance.Conclusions: The relative abundance of dominant bacterial taxa in vaginal microbial communities of women at childbearing age, characterized with 16S rRNA gene sequence and QIIME based analysis, were not different among groups of childbearing history and menstrual cycle. Women from groups of in pregnancy and without reproductive tract infections had lower alpha and beta diversity. The compositional ratio of the main lactobacillus species may shift depending on the normal physiological cycle and reproductive tract infections.

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