Characterization of gut microbial alterations in cynomolgus macaques during growth and maturation

Aging is closely related to physiology and disease development in animals.Gut microbiota varies with lifecycle and exerts profound influences on the host.To investigate gut microbial alterations during growth and maturation,41 female cynomolgus monkeys(Macaca fascicularis)ranging in age from 1 month to 15 years were divided into four groups(infant,young,adult,and middle-aged).16S rRNA gene analyses revealed that gut microbial composition in the infant monkeys was distinct from that in the young,adult,and middle-aged monkeys.With increasing age,gut microbiota richness and diversity increased and then remained steady in the young,adult,and middle-aged monkeys.