Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism
Abstract Cardiometabolic disease is the leading cause of death in zoo apes; yet its etiology remains unknown. Here, we investigated compositional and functional microbial markers in fecal samples from 57 gorillas across U.S. zoos, 20 of which are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, in contrast wi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00664-3 |
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| author | Samuel Davison Anna Mascellani Bergo Zoe Ward April Sackett Anna Strykova José Diógenes Jaimes Dominic Travis Jonathan B. Clayton Hayley W. Murphy Marietta D. Danforth B. Katherine Smith Ran Blekhman Terence Fuh Frédéric Stéphane Niatou Singa Jaroslav Havlik Klara Petrzelkova Andres Gomez |
| author_facet | Samuel Davison Anna Mascellani Bergo Zoe Ward April Sackett Anna Strykova José Diógenes Jaimes Dominic Travis Jonathan B. Clayton Hayley W. Murphy Marietta D. Danforth B. Katherine Smith Ran Blekhman Terence Fuh Frédéric Stéphane Niatou Singa Jaroslav Havlik Klara Petrzelkova Andres Gomez |
| author_sort | Samuel Davison |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Cardiometabolic disease is the leading cause of death in zoo apes; yet its etiology remains unknown. Here, we investigated compositional and functional microbial markers in fecal samples from 57 gorillas across U.S. zoos, 20 of which are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, in contrast with 17 individuals from European zoos and 19 wild gorillas from Central Africa. Results show that zoo-housed gorillas in the U.S. exhibit the most diverse gut microbiomes and markers of increased protein and carbohydrate fermentation, at the expense of microbial metabolic traits associated with plant cell-wall degradation. Machine learning models identified unique microbial traits in U.S. gorillas with cardiometabolic distress; including reduced metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids and hexoses, increased abundance of potential enteric pathogens, and low fecal butyrate and propionate production. These findings show that cardiometabolic disease in gorillas is potentially associated with altered gut microbial function, influenced by zoo-specific diets and environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c8a6c3fd54a34e8ba12c58d0e22685d2 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2055-5008 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| spelling | doaj-art-c8a6c3fd54a34e8ba12c58d0e22685d22025-08-20T03:10:55ZengNature Portfolionpj Biofilms and Microbiomes2055-50082025-02-0111111510.1038/s41522-025-00664-3Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolismSamuel Davison0Anna Mascellani Bergo1Zoe Ward2April Sackett3Anna Strykova4José Diógenes Jaimes5Dominic Travis6Jonathan B. Clayton7Hayley W. Murphy8Marietta D. Danforth9B. Katherine Smith10Ran Blekhman11Terence Fuh12Frédéric Stéphane Niatou Singa13Jaroslav Havlik14Klara Petrzelkova15Andres Gomez16Department of Animal Science, University of MinnesotaDepartment of Food Science, Czech University of Life Sciences PragueDepartment of Animal Science, University of MinnesotaDepartment of Animal Science, University of MinnesotaInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of SciencesDepartment of Food Science, Czech University of Life Sciences PragueThe Marine Mammal CenterPrimate Microbiome Project, University of Nebraska-LincolnHWM and MDD: Great Ape Heart Project, Detroit Zoological SocietyHWM and MDD: Great Ape Heart Project, Detroit Zoological SocietyUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstPrimate Microbiome Project, University of Nebraska-LincolnWWF Central African RepublicWWF Central African RepublicDepartment of Food Science, Czech University of Life Sciences PragueInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of SciencesDepartment of Animal Science, University of MinnesotaAbstract Cardiometabolic disease is the leading cause of death in zoo apes; yet its etiology remains unknown. Here, we investigated compositional and functional microbial markers in fecal samples from 57 gorillas across U.S. zoos, 20 of which are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, in contrast with 17 individuals from European zoos and 19 wild gorillas from Central Africa. Results show that zoo-housed gorillas in the U.S. exhibit the most diverse gut microbiomes and markers of increased protein and carbohydrate fermentation, at the expense of microbial metabolic traits associated with plant cell-wall degradation. Machine learning models identified unique microbial traits in U.S. gorillas with cardiometabolic distress; including reduced metabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids and hexoses, increased abundance of potential enteric pathogens, and low fecal butyrate and propionate production. These findings show that cardiometabolic disease in gorillas is potentially associated with altered gut microbial function, influenced by zoo-specific diets and environments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00664-3 |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Davison Anna Mascellani Bergo Zoe Ward April Sackett Anna Strykova José Diógenes Jaimes Dominic Travis Jonathan B. Clayton Hayley W. Murphy Marietta D. Danforth B. Katherine Smith Ran Blekhman Terence Fuh Frédéric Stéphane Niatou Singa Jaroslav Havlik Klara Petrzelkova Andres Gomez Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| title | Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism |
| title_full | Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism |
| title_fullStr | Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism |
| title_short | Cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism |
| title_sort | cardiometabolic disease risk in gorillas is associated with altered gut microbial metabolism |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00664-3 |
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