The Wild Rat versus Outbred Laboratory Rat Microbiome

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/474299915

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that the gut microbiota are important determinants of physiology, including immune function, and behavior. Previous studies have documented differences in the gut microbiota in model systems such as the laboratory mouse compared to their wild counterparts. However, no studies to date have examined the differences in the gut microbiomes of wild-caught rats and laboratory rats, including the presence of commonly detected pathogens in wild-caught rats that are absent in laboratory rats. Here, we compared the microbiota of wild-caught rats in Boulder County, Colorado against outbred Sprague Dawley rats using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing data from fecal samples collected over 4 weeks. PCR and serological analyses were also used to help profile influential pathogens found in the wild-caught rat cohort. We detected a wide range of pathobionts among the wild-caught rats, including keystone taxa such as Helicobacter spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis. Firmicutes were more abundant in laboratory rats, while wild-caught rats had greater abundances of Bacteroidetes. These differences in microbial composition may be due to differences in diet and pathogen exposures in varying environments. These data underscore that compositional differences in the gut microbiome should be taken into account when considering the reproducibility, interpretation, and translatability of findings from studies of laboratory reared rats.

Creator