{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,26]],"date-time":"2026-07-26T06:30:19Z","timestamp":1785047419199,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,7]],"date-time":"2022-02-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1644192000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are classified as \u201cvulnerable\u201d species due to the low numbers persisting in the wild. Gastrointestinal diseases are very common in this species when they are kept in captivity, in particular gastritis. Clinical signs are predominantly characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and anorexia. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of a multi-strain probiotic in two groups of cheetahs: Group A (n = 4)\u2014rescued cheetahs housed at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (Otjiwarongo, Namibia); Group B (n = 9)\u2014captive cheetahs housed in Italian zoos. Animals showed gastrointestinal signs of different severity, and were positive for Helicobacter spp., detected by PCR in stool samples. Two sachets of probiotic formulation were administered to all cheetahs once a day for 21 consecutive days. Clinical conditions (appetite loss, vomiting, stool consistency and Body Condition Score) before (T0) and after 21 days of probiotic administration (T1) were then compared using a simplified Feline Chronic Enteropathy Activity Index (FCEAI) score. A slight but not significant improvement in the scores was observed in Group A, which had mild intestinal symptoms, while a significant decrease in vomiting and stool consistency (**p &lt; 0.01) scores was observed in Group B, which had more pronounced symptoms. Results suggest that high concentrations of live probiotics can be of help in managing gastrointestinal signs in cheetahs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12030395","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,7]],"date-time":"2022-02-07T20:36:42Z","timestamp":1644266202000},"page":"395","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Effect of a Probiotic Mixture in Captive Cheetahs (Acinonyx Jubatus) with Gastrointestinal Symptoms\u2014A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Sara","family":"Mangiaterra","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5108-2606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anne","family":"Schmidt-K\u00fcntzel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheetah Conservation Fund, Otjiwarongo 9000, Namibia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laurie","family":"Marker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cheetah Conservation Fund, Otjiwarongo 9000, Namibia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8122-9170","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessandro","family":"Di Cerbo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Renato","family":"Piccinini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Falconara Zoo Park, 60015 Falconara, AN, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Davide","family":"Guadagnini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Parco Faunistico Le Cornelle, 24030 Valbrembo, BG, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria Elena","family":"Turba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Genefast Laboratory, 47122 Forl\u00ec, FC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Berardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"DVM Freelance Consultant, 62100 Macerata, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5094-8359","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Livio","family":"Galosi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5258-6742","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Preziuso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9471-0756","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matteo","family":"Cerquetella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8617-5984","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giacomo","family":"Rossi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, 62024 Matelica, MC, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"528","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1611122114","article-title":"The global decline of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and what it means for conservation","volume":"114","author":"Durant","year":"2017","journal-title":"Proc. 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