Digestive Tract of Beavers (Castor fiber) Associated with Staphylococcal Species Variability and Their Properties

Author(s): Andrea Lauková, Jana Šcerbová, Anna Kandricáková , Renata Miltko, Grzegorz Belzecki

Objective: Staphylococci from beavers‘ gut (Castor fiber) were analysed as a contribution in the basic microbiology as well as in the part of beavers‘ microbiome study.

 Methodology: Free-living beavers (12), both male and female (aged 4-5 years) were caught with a net in north-east part of Poland Województwo (Provincie) Podlaskie Gmina-Wizajny, GPS:22º 52E:54º22N and placed in wire cages. Sampling was provided with the Polish colleagues. Samples of jejunum (12), colon (12) and caecum (6) were done according to all ethic rules for animal handling.

Results: Staphylococci detected in jejunum reached 2.73 ± 1.16 cfu/g (log 10) on average; their counts in caecum reached 1.87 ± 0.37 cfu/g on average and in colon 2.89 ± 1.70 cfu/g. After score evaluation using MALDI-TOF spectrometry, a high variability in staphylococcal strains/species distribution in beavers‘ gut was found; in total, including 18 identified strains, nine species were detected belonging into five clusters; all strains were allotted in the coagulase-negative staphylococcal species. The most frequently detected species were S. hominis and S. haemolyticus (five strains for each). The other species included two strains-S. epidermidis and S. lentus, S. pasteuri, S. cohnii, S. vitulinus, S. warneri, S. xylosus, one strain for each one species. Fifteen strains were DNase and almost hemolysis negative. Ten strains (not depending on the species) showed low-grade biofilm ability. Most of strains were methicillin susceptible with high production of lactic acid.

Conclusion: The study is original contribution in staphylococcal microbiome of beavers and gives opportunity in more detail study of individual strain species.