# The variation of gut microbiota in captive Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) from infancy to adulthood

## TL;DR

This study examines how the gut microbiota of captive Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys changes from infancy to adulthood, finding significant differences that could help improve infant survival rates.

## Contribution

The study provides the first comparative analysis of gut microbiota development in captive Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys across different life stages.

## Key findings

- Infant R. roxellana had lower gut microbiota richness and beta diversity compared to juveniles and adults.
- Firmicutes abundance increased with age, while Shigella/Escherichia and Akkermansia were higher in infants and decreased with age.
- Potential pathogenic bacteria like Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus aureus were abundant in infant gut samples.

## Abstract

Rhinopithecus roxellana (R. roxellana) is an endangered primate species, and its infant survival rate in captivity is extremely low. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of the gut microbiota from 8 infants (14–18 days old), 12 juveniles/subadults (2–5 years old), and 12 adults of R. roxellana (7–14 years old), which were kept at the Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China. Through the 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, we found the gut microbiota richness and beta diversity in captive infant R. roxellana were significantly lower than those in the non-infant groups. The relative abundance of Firmicutes positively correlated with increasing age, whereas the abundance of Shigella/Escherichia and Akkermansia was significantly higher in the infants and exhibited a decreasing trend with age. Meanwhile, several potential pathogenic bacteria, including Clostridium perfringens, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella flexneri, among others, were found to be abundant in the infant samples following the cultivable bacteria isolation. This research preliminarily investigated the gut microbiota development of captive R. roxellana and provided a valuable theoretical foundation for improving the healthy breeding of captive infant R. roxellana.