ArticleMicrobiome2021
Age and sex-associated variation in the multi-site microbiome of an entire social group of free-ranging rhesus macaques.
Article in Microbiome, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers.
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Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 95 citations in OpenAlex.
- Age-related changes in the gut microbiota of a long-lived seabird suggest divergence from mammalian models.Royal Society open science · 2026Article
- Ageing processes in the bonobo gut microbiome mirror human patterns.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- Mapping the canine gut microbiome: insights from the Dog Aging Project.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Microbial Contributions to Primate Reproduction.Evolutionary anthropology · 2026Review
- Comparative analysis of gut microbiota and host phenotypic characteristics across enterotype-like clusters in cynomolgus and rhesus macaques.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Dynamics of Gut Microbiota in Japanese Tits (Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Sex-specific dynamic changes of serum short-chain fatty acids in rhesus monkeys during aging.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Article
- Vaginal Lactobacillus crispatus in early pregnancy associates with favorable gestational outcomes in a Japanese maternal-neonatal microbiome cohort.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- A Spatiotemporal Atlas of the Gut Microbiota inBiology · 2025Article
- Eukaryotic composition across seasons and social groups in the gut microbiota of wild baboons.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- Supplementation With Human Foods Affects the Gut Microbiota of Wild Howler Monkeys.American journal of primatology · 2025Article
- Exploring the Utility of the Gut Microbiome as a Longitudinal Health Monitoring Tool in Sanctuary Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).American journal of primatology · 2025Article
- Effect of Relocation, Social Housing Changes, and Diarrhea Status on Microbiome Composition of Juvenile Cynomolgus Macaques (Microorganisms · 2025Article
- The oral microbiome in aging: a window into health and longevity.Journal of oral microbiology · 2025Review
- Metagenomic analyses of gut microbiome composition and function with age in a wild bird; little change, except increased transposase gene abundance.ISME communications · 2025Article
- Evidences from gut microbiome and habitat landscape indicate continued threat of extinction for the Hainan gibbon.iScience · 2024Article
- Gut microbial assessment among Hylobatidae at the National Wildlife Rescue Centre, Peninsular Malaysia.Journal of veterinary science · 2024Article
- Early-life factors shaping the gut microbiota of Common buzzard nestlings.Animal microbiome · 2024Article
- Markers of fertility in reproductive microbiomes of male and female endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes).Communications biology · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
15 authors at 9 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAn individual's microbiome changes over the course of its lifetime, especially during infancy, and again in old age. Confounding factors such as diet and healthcare make it difficult to disentangle the interactions between age, health, and microbial changes in humans. Animal models present an excellent opportunity to study age- and sex-linked variation in the microbiome, but captivity is known to influence animal microbial abundance and composition, while studies of free-ranging animals are typically limited to studies of the fecal microbiome using samples collected non-invasively. Here, we analyze a large dataset of oral, rectal, and genital swabs collected from 105 free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta, aged 1 month-26 years), comprising one entire social group, from the island of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. We sequenced 16S V4 rRNA amplicons for all samples.
resultsInfant gut microbial communities had significantly higher relative abundances of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides and lower abundances of Ruminococcus, Fibrobacter, and Treponema compared to older age groups, consistent with a diet high in milk rather than solid foods. The genital microbiome varied widely between males and females in beta-diversity, taxonomic composition, and predicted functional profiles. Interestingly, only penile, but not vaginal, microbiomes exhibited distinct age-related changes in microbial beta-diversity, taxonomic composition, and predicted functions. Oral microbiome composition was associated with age, and was most distinctive between infants and other age classes.
conclusionsAcross all three body regions, with notable exceptions in the penile microbiome, while infants were distinctly different from other age groups, microbiomes of adults were relatively invariant, even in advanced age. While vaginal microbiomes were exceptionally stable, penile microbiomes were quite variable, especially at the onset of reproductive age. Relative invariance among adults, including elderly individuals, is contrary to findings in humans and mice. We discuss potential explanations for this observation, including that age-related microbiome variation seen in humans may be related to changes in diet and lifestyle. Video abstract.
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