Uterine bacterial sterility in non-pregnant domestic cats – a pilot study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-21252025v3812668rcKeywords:
16S rRNA. Feline. Uterine environment. Bacteriome.Abstract
In various physiological and pathological conditions, the uterine bacteriome in mammals generates debates regarding the presence of a permanent microbiome. In this sense, microbiome studies have been conducted in the upper reproductive tract in some species using modern molecular biology techniques. However, this knowledge is still lacking for cats. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the presence of a uterine bacteriome in healthy non-pregnant cats by investigating the 16S rRNA gene. Uterine fragments were collected from five healthy cats after total hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy (HSO). After DNA extraction, the samples were subjected to conventional PCR amplification of the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Our analysis revealed no detectable amplification in the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene in any of the samples. These findings support the hypothesis that the feline endometrium may be sterile or harbor an ultra-low microbial biomass. Further studies with larger, more representative sample sizes are essential to validate these findings and to gain a deeper understanding of the uterine microbiome under different physiological conditions.
References
ALESSANDRI, G. et al. Catching a glimpse of the bacterial gut community of companion animals: a canine and feline perspective. Microbial Biotechnology, 13: 1708-1732, 2020.
ASADI, B. et al. Isolated bacteria from the uteri of camels with different reproductive backgrounds: A study on sampling methodology, prevalence, and clinical significance. Veterinary Sciences, 10: 1-14, 2023.
AULT, T. B. et al. Bacterial taxonomic composition of the postpartum cow uterus and vagina prior to artificial insemination. Journal of Animal Science, 97: 4305-4313, 2019.
BAKER, J. M.; CHASE, D. M.; HERBST-KRALOVETZ, M. M. Uterine microbiota: Residents, tourists, or invaders? Frontiers in Immunology, 9: 1-16, 2018.
BALBONI, A. et al. Culture-dependent and sequencing methods revealed the absence of a bacterial community residing in the urine of healthy cats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7: 1-10, 2020.
BARDOS, J. et al. Immunological role of the maternal uterine microbiome in pregnancy: pregnancies pathologies and alterated microbiota. Frontiers in Immunology, 10: 1-14, 2020.
CLEMETSON, L. L.; WARD, A. C. Bacterial flora of the vagina and uterus of healthy cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 196: 902-906, 1990.
EISENBERG, E.; LEVANON, E. Y. Human housekeeping genes, revisited. Trends in Genetics, 29: 569-574, 2013.
FRANASIAK, J. M. et al. Endometrial microbiome at the time of embryo transfer: next-generation sequencing of the 16S ribosomal subunit. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 33: 129-136, 2016.
HOLYOAK, G. R; LYMAN, C. C.. The equine endometrial microbiome: A brief review. American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research, 11: 532–534, 2021.
HOLYOAK, G. R. et al. The healthy equine uterus harbors a distinct core microbiome plus a rich and diverse microbiome that varies with geographical location. Scientific Reports, 12: 1-14, 2022.
LI, J. et al. Endometrial and vaginal microbiome in donkeys with and without clinical endometritis. Frontiers in Microbiology, 13: 1-14, 2022.
LONGERI, M. et al. Myosin-binding protein C DNA variants in domestic cats (A31P, A74T, R820W) and their association with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 27: 275-285, 2013.
LYMAN, C. C. et al. Canine endometrial and vaginal microbiomes reveal distinct and complex ecosystems. PLOS ONE, 14: 1-17, 2019.
LYONS, L. A. et al. Feline polycystic kidney disease mutation identified in PKD1. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 15: 2548-2555, 2004.
MOORE, S. G. et al. Hot topic: 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveals the microbiome of the virgin and pregnant bovine uterus. Journal of Dairy Science, 100: 4953-4960, 2017.
MOOSSAVI, S. et al. Repeatability and reproducibility assessment in a large-scale population-based microbiota study: Case study on human milk microbiota. Microbiome, 9: 1-10, 2021.
PEREZ-MUÑOZ, M. E. et al. A critical assessment of the “sterile womb” and “in utero colonization” hypotheses: Implications for research on the pioneer infant microbiome. Microbiome, 5: 1-19, 2017.
PEREZ, P. F. et al. Bacterial imprinting of the neonatal immune system: lessons from maternal cells? Pediatrics, 119: e724-e732, 2007.
PSIFIDI, A. et al. Comparison of eleven methods for genomic DNA extraction suitable for large-scale whole-genome genotyping and long-term DNA banking using blood samples. PLOS ONE, 10: 1-18, 2015.
ROTA, A. et al. Does bacteria colonization of canine newborns start in the uterus? Animals, 11: 1-12, 2021.
SCHULTHEISS, P. C. et al. Normal bacterial flora in canine and feline uteri. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 11: 560–562, 1999.
STRÖM HOLST, B. et al. Characterization of the bacterial population of the genital tract of adult cats. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 64: 963-968, 2003.
VERSTRAELEN, H. et al. Characterisation of the human uterine microbiome in non-pregnant women through deep sequencing of the V1-2 region of the 16S rRNA gene. PeerJ, 4: 1-23, 2016.
WEINROTH, M. D. et al. Considerations and best practices in animal science 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing microbiome studies. Journal of Animal Science, 100: 1-18, 2022.
WEISS, S. et al. Tracking down the sources of experimental contamination in microbiome studies. Genome Biology, 15: 1-3, 2014.
WESS, G. et al. Association of A31P and A74T polymorphisms in the myosin binding protein c3 gene and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Maine Coon and other breed cats. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 24: 527–532, 2010.
XIA, Z. et al. Conventional versus real-time quantitative PCR for rare species detection. Ecology and Evolution, 8: 11799-11807, 2018.
YAP, J. M.; GOLDSMITH, C. E.; MOORE, J. E. Integrity of bacterial genomic DNA after autoclaving: possible implications for horizontal gene transfer and clinical waste management. The Journal of Hospital Infection, 83: 247-249, 2013.
ZOU, X. et al. Exploring the rumen and cecum microbial community from fetus to adulthood in goat. Animals, 10: 1-17, 2020.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Os Autores que publicam na Revista Caatinga concordam com os seguintes termos:
a) Os Autores mantêm os direitos autorais e concedem à revista o direito de primeira publicação, com o trabalho simultaneamente licenciado sob a Licença Creative Commons do tipo atribuição CC-BY, para todo o conteúdo do periódico, exceto onde estiver identificado, que permite o compartilhamento do trabalho com reconhecimento da autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista, sem fins comerciais.
b) Os Autores têm autorização para distribuição não-exclusiva da versão do trabalho publicada nesta revista (ex.: publicar em repositório institucional ou como capítulo de livro), com reconhecimento de autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista.
c) Os Autores têm permissão e são estimulados a publicar e distribuir seu trabalho online (ex.: em repositórios institucionais ou na sua página pessoal) a qualquer ponto antes ou durante o processo editorial, já que isso pode gerar alterações produtivas, bem como aumentar o impacto e a citação do trabalho publicado (Veja O Efeito do Acesso Livre).
