초록

Abstract ▼

연구개요
Conservation is needed for wildlife, especially endangered species, for example, by investigating their ecological characteristics such as dietary characteristics.
Meanwhile, wildlife is known to serve as vectors of zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs). Consistent m

연구개요
Conservation is needed for wildlife, especially endangered species, for example, by investigating their ecological characteristics such as dietary characteristics.
Meanwhile, wildlife is known to serve as vectors of zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs). Consistent monitoring of zoonotic pathogens and ARGs in wildlife is needed to prevent from their infections in humans and livestock. The goal of this study is to apply metagenomic sequencing to investigate diet profiles and prevalence of zoonotic pathogens and ARGs by analyzing fecal samples of wild animals, such as raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), in Korea.

연구 목표대비 연구결과
The goal of this study is to apply metagenomic sequencing to investigate diet profiles and prevalence of zoonotic pathogens and ARGs by analyzing fecal samples of wildlife in Korea. The tasks of the study included genomic DNA extraction from previously collected fecal samples, zoonotic parasite-specific targeted amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomic sequencing of total genomic DNA extracts from fecal samples, and bioinformatic analyses for ARGs, virulence factors (VFs) and dietary contents. The genomic DNA was extracted from all of fecal samples of raccoon dogs, Eurasian otters, and leopard cats. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that taxonomic profiles of fecal samples were clustered according to the host type. Similarly, zoonotic parasite-specific targeted amplicon sequencing revealed that the community memberships of unicellular eukaryote parasites and helminths in fecal samples were different depending on the host type. Metagenomic sequencing identified a total of 14 ARG classes from feces of Eurasian otters and leopard cats, with tetracycline resistance genes being most abundant across all samples. Acinetobacter baumannii was found to be the most dominant taxonomic group related to VFs. Furthermore, metagenomic sequencing revealed diet profiles of Eurasian otters and leopard cats, and found that the family of Cyprinidae was the most abundant, followed by Muridae, Bovidae, Varunidae, Danionidae, Anabantidae, Osphronemidae and Phasianidae. We also found that Carassius auratus (crucian carp), Carassius gibelio (Prussian carp) and Cyprinus Carpio (common carp) were abundant specifically in feces of Eurasian otters. The zoonotic parasite-specific targeted amplicon sequencing revealed that Eimeria, Sarcocystis, Toxocara, and Synhimantus were abundant in feces of leopard cats, while Hysterothylacium, Plectus, Goussia, and Microsporidium were abundant in feces of Eurasian otters. Additionally, we examined prevalence of Leptospira, Giardia intestinalis and Toxoplasma gondii using nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. G. intestinalis was detected in all of three animals, while T. gondii was detected only in leopard cats. Leptospira wolffii was detected in raccoon dog and Eurasian otter.

연구발성과의 활용 계획 및 기대효과 (연구개발결과의 중요성)
The knowledge obtained by this study can contribute to our society in the following two ways. First, the results of this study can give important information for wildlife conservation in Korea. For example, the Eurasian otter is listed as a Near Threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and as a class I endangered species by the Ministry of Environment of Korea. Therefore, it is important to know their diet profiles as part of conservation efforts. Second, the results of this study can contribute to prevention from zoonotic diseases, which are an increasing public health concern in urbanized environments where human can encounter with wildlife that may harbor zoonotic pathogens.
Moreover, our findings of ARGs can add insights into how wildlife play roles in spreading antimicrobial resistant bacteria in our society. Overall, I expect that the results of this study can contribute to "One Health", an emerging concept that recognizes that human health is related to the health of animals and ecosystem health, to achieve healthy environments for both human and animals, and associated ecosystem services in Korea.

(출처 : 요약문 2p)