{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T01:42:31Z","timestamp":1781746951864,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1763683200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Microbiol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The Orinoco crocodile (\n                      <jats:italic>Crocodylus intermedius<\/jats:italic>\n                      ), a critically endangered species from Colombia and Venezuela Llanos, continues to face significant threats despite existing legal protections. Understanding the microbial diversity associated with this species, particularly in captive populations, can offer valuable insights into its health status and inform conservation strategies. In this study, we characterized the bacterial microbiota of\n                      <jats:italic>C. intermedius<\/jats:italic>\n                      , focusing on the influence of body site and the presence of\n                      <jats:italic>Helicobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. on microbial diversity.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We collected oral and cloacal samples from five captive\n                      <jats:italic>C. intermedius<\/jats:italic>\n                      individuals and analyzed their bacterial microbiota using high-throughput sequencing techniques. The study specifically investigated how microbial diversity varies by body site and how the presence of\n                      <jats:italic>Helicobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. influences community structure and composition.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Oral samples exhibited higher microbial diversity compared to cloacal samples. This difference is likely attributable to greater environmental exposure and dietary variation affecting the oral cavity. The presence of Helicobacter spp. was associated with a marked reduction in bacterial richness and significant shifts in community composition. Samples positive for\n                      <jats:italic>Helicobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. were notably enriched in potentially pathogenic genera, including\n                      <jats:italic>Campylobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      and\n                      <jats:italic>Escherichia<\/jats:italic>\n                      , suggesting a dysbiotic effect on the microbiota.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Our findings indicate that both body site and\n                      <jats:italic>Helicobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. presence play significant roles in shaping the microbial communities of\n                      <jats:italic>C. intermedius<\/jats:italic>\n                      . These results have important implications for reptile health management and zoonotic disease surveillance, as dysbiosis could compromise host health and facilitate pathogen transmission. Furthermore, this study underscores the role of reptiles as potential reservoirs for\n                      <jats:italic>Campylobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp. and\n                      <jats:italic>Helicobacter<\/jats:italic>\n                      spp., highlighting the need for continued research into the microbial ecology of endangered species to guide conservation strategies and inform public health policies.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2025.1697111","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]],"date-time":"2025-11-21T16:07:35Z","timestamp":1763741255000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Microbial diversity in the critically endangered Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius): influence of body site and Helicobacter spp. on microbiota composition"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Loreley","family":"Castelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Microbiolog\u00eda y Salud de las Abejas, Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda, Instituto de Investigaciones Biol\u00f3gicas Clemente Estable","place":["Montevideo, Uruguay"]},{"name":"Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biol\u00f3gicas Clemente Estable","place":["Montevideo, Uruguay"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda Alexandra","family":"Garc\u00eda-Amado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Fisiolog\u00eda Gastrointestinal, Centro de Biof\u00edsica y Bioqu\u00edmica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas","place":["Caracas, Venezuela"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla A.","family":"Rudolf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Fisiolog\u00eda Gastrointestinal, Centro de Biof\u00edsica y Bioqu\u00edmica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas","place":["Caracas, Venezuela"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Monica","family":"Contreras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Fisiolog\u00eda Gastrointestinal, Centro de Biof\u00edsica y Bioqu\u00edmica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas","place":["Caracas, Venezuela"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ariel S.","family":"Espinosa-Blanco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Ecolog\u00eda y Gen\u00e9tica de Poblaciones, Centro de Ecolog\u00eda, IVIC","place":["Caracas, Venezuela"]},{"name":"Grupo de investigaci\u00f3n Salus Conservatio, Programa de Biolog\u00eda, Universidad Internacional del Tr\u00f3pico Americano, UNITR\u00d3PICO","place":["Yopal, Colombia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Filipa","family":"Godoy-Vitorino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Microbiolog\u00eda y Zoolog\u00eda M\u00e9dica, Escuela de Medicina, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ciencias M\u00e9dicas","place":["San Juan, Puerto Rico"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1541-0420.2005.00440.x","article-title":"Distance-based tests for homogeneity of multivariate dispersions","volume":"62","author":"Anderson","year":"2006","journal-title":"Biometrics"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"683","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1461-0248.2006.00926.x","article-title":"Multivariate dispersion as a measure of beta diversity","volume":"9","author":"Anderson","year":"2006","journal-title":"Ecol. 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