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The gut microbiota plays a key role in host health, and disruptions to gut bacterial homeostasis can cause disease. However, the effect of disease on gut microbiota assembly remains unclear and gut microbiota-based predictions of health status is a promising yet poorly established field. Using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology, we compared the gut microbiota between healthy (HA and HB) and diarrhoeic (DS) Rana dybowskii groups and analyzed the functional profiles through a phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) analysis. In addition, we estimated the correlation between gut microbiota structures and predicted the functional compositions. The results showed significant differences in the phylogenetic diversity (Pd), Shannon, and observed richness (Sobs) indices between the DS and HB groups, with significant differences observed in the gut microbiota composition between the DS group and the HA and HB groups. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) results revealed that Proteobacteria were significantly enriched in the DS group; Bacteroidetes were significantly enriched in the HA and HB groups; and Aeromonas , Citrobacter , Enterococcus , Hafnia-Obesumbacterium , Morganella , Lactococcus , Providencia , Vagococcus , and Staphylococcus were significantly enriched in the DS group. Venn diagrams revealed that there were many more unique genera in the DS group than the HA and HB groups. Among 102 sensitive species selected using the indicator method, 33 indicated a healthy status and 69 (e.g., Acinetobacter , Aeromonas , Legionella , Morganella , Proteus , Providencia , Staphylococcus , and Vagococcus) indicated a diseased status. There was a significant and positive association between the composition and functional composition of the gut microbiota, thus indicating low functional redundancy of the frog gut bacterial community. Rana dybowskii disease was associated with changes in the gut microbiota, which subsequently disrupted bacterial-mediated functions. The results of this study can aid in revealing the effect of the R. dybowskii gut microbiota on host health and provide a basis for elucidating the mechanism of the occurrence of R. dybowskii disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rana amurensis and R. dybowskii occupy similar habitats. As temperatures decrease with the onset of winter, both species migrate to ponds for hibernation. Our goal was to determine whether different species possess different intestinal microbiota under natural winter fasting conditions. We used high-throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene sequences to analyse the diversity of intestinal microbes in the two species. The dominant gut bacterial phyla in both species were Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size revealed significant enrichment of Proteobacteria in R. amurensis and Firmicutes in R. dybowskii. There were significant differences in the gut microbiota composition between the species. The core operational taxonomic unit numbers in R. amurensis and R. dybowskii shared by the two species were 106, 100 and 36. This study indicates that the intestinal bacterial communities of the two frog species are clearly different. Phylum-level analysis showed that R. amurensis was more abundant in Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia than R. dybowskii was This is the first study of the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota of these two species, providing important insights for future research on the gut microbiota and the role of these bacterial communities in frogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics are key in combating bacterial infections and halting disease spread, yet their effects on amphibian gut microbiomes remain poorly understood. Amphibian survival depends on their skin microbiota. Drugs used to treat amphibians may affect gut microbiota but has yet to have unexplored impacts on skin microbiota. We used Illumina sequencing to analyze the cutaneous (C) and gut (G) microbiota of healthy (H) frogs and diseased (D) frogs treated with antibiotics and evaluate their functional characteristics. The result showed that antibiotics lowered gut microbiota alpha diversity but not skin microbiota. Bray-Curtis and UniFrac measures demonstrate the significant variations in skin and gut microbiota between healthy and antibiotic-treated frogs. Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria predominated in DC and HC; Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota dominated DG and HG. Linear discriminant analysis and effect size (LEfSe) analysis identified specific bacterial taxa enriched in antibiotic-treated versus healthy frogs. Maximum likelihood (ML) analysis revealed close evolutionary relationships among certain bacterial taxa. Functional predictions indicated significant differences in metabolic pathways between groups, and BugBase analysis showed variations in bacterial phenotypes, suggesting altered microbial functions following antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic treatment in frogs significantly altered gut microbiota diversity and impacts functional pathways in both gut and skin microbiota without affecting skin microbiota alpha diversity. Antibiotics' complex effects on frog microbiota showed R. dybowskii 's delicate balance between therapeutic advantages and ecological changes, which might affect conservation and health initiatives. • New insights on antibiotics' effect on amphibian microbiota. • Antibiotics alter gut but not skin microbiota diversity. • Identified microbes linked to health and disease states. • Analyzed functional changes in microbiota post-antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]