Impacts of canine distemper virus infection on the giant panda population from the perspective of gut microbiota

The recent increase in infectious disease outbreaks has been directly linked to the global loss of biodiversity and the decline of some endangered species populations. Between December 2014 and March 2015, five captive giant pandas died due to canine distemper virus (CDV) infection in China. CDV has taken a heavy toll on tigers and lions in recent years. Here, we describe the first gut microbiome diversity study of CDV-infected pandas. By investigating the influence of CDV infection on gut bacterial communities in infected and uninfected individuals and throughout the course of infection, we found that CDV infection distorted the gut microbiota composition by reducing the prevalence of the dominant genera, Escherichia and Clostridium, and increasing microbial diversity. Our results highlight that increases in intestinal inflammation and changes in the relative abundances of pathogen-containing gut communities occur when individuals become infected with CDV. These results may provide new insights into therapeutics that target the microbiota to attenuate the progression of CDV disease and to reduce the risk of gut-linked disease in individuals with CDV. In addition, our findings underscore the need for better information concerning the dynamics of infection and the damage caused by pathogens in panda populations.