Short Photoperiod-Dependent Enrichment of Akkermansia spec. as the Major Change in the Intestinal Microbiome of Djungarian Hamsters (Phodopus sungorus)

The Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus) is a prominent model organism for seasonal acclimatization, showing drastic whole-body physiological adjustments to an energetically challenging environment, which are considered to also involve the gut microbiome. Fecal samples of hamsters in long photoperiod and again after twelve weeks in short photoperiod were analyzed by 16S-rRNA sequencing to evaluate seasonal changes in the respective gut microbiomes. In both photoperiods, the overall composition was stable in the major superordinate phyla of the microbiota, with distinct and delicate changes of abundance in phyla representing each <1% of all. Elusimicrobia, Tenericutes, and Verrucomicrobia were exclusively present in short photoperiod hamsters. In contrast to Elusimicrobium and Aneroplasma as representatives of Elusimicrobia and Tenericutes, Akkermansia muciniphila is a prominent gut microbiome inhabitant well described as important in the health context of animals and humans, including neurodegenerative diseases and obesity. Since diet was not changed, Akkermansia enrichment appears to be a direct consequence of short photoperiod acclimation. Future research will investigate whether the Djungarian hamster intestinal microbiome is responsible for or responsive to seasonal acclimation, focusing on probiotic supplementation.