Comparative molecular analysis of fecal microbiota of bobcats (Lynx rufus) and domestic cats (Felis catus).

The goal of this study was to explore and describe fecal microbiota of captive and wild bobcats (Lynx rufus) and compare the results to those of domestic cats (Felis catus). Fecal samples from 27 bobcats (8 wild, 19 zoo-kept) were used for novel bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) identification using next-generation sequencing of the V4 region of the bacterial 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene, analyzed by Illumina sequencing, and then compared to data obtained from a colony of 10 domestic cats. In this study, the microbiota of both species was dominated by Firmicutes, followed by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia. When compared, fecal samples from bobcats harbored more Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria than fecal samples from domestic cats. There was a remarkable inter-bobcat variation in the relative abundances of the main bacterial genera. There were no significant differences, however, between the main phyla of the microbiota of the wild and domestic bobcats. Proteobacteria in wild bobcats (P = 0.079) and Firmicutes in zoo-kept bobcats (P = 0.079) approached significance. There were no differences in predominant genera between wild and captive bobcats. The results of this study showed that there are notable differences in fecal bacterial communities between domestic cats and both captive and wild bobcats. The lack of significant differences in bacterial communities between wild and zoo-kept bobcats suggests that the varied diet provided for these felids can result in a fecal microbiota resembling that generated by a wild diet.