Dental disease and diet are associated with changes in the microbiota of the oral cavity in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).

OBJECTIVE

To describe the oral microbiota in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) with or without dental disease and evaluate the impact of fruit consumption.

METHODS

42 total client-owned bearded dragons were categorized into groups: healthy (absent or mild dental disease [n = 21]) and diseased (moderate to severe dental disease [21]). An additional analysis compared fruit-eating (n = 17) and non-fruit-eating bearded dragons (25). Following dentition assessment, all oral quadrants were sampled at 1 time point for DNA extraction via next-generation sequencing targeting bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 regions. The α- and β-diversity, taxonomic abundance, core microbiota analysis, and linear discriminant effect size analyses were compared between groups.

RESULTS

The oral microbiota comprised 1,317 and 163 fungal species. Although there were no significant differences in bacterial or fungal α-diversity between healthy and diseased groups, bacterial β-diversity differed significantly. Certain taxa were more abundant in the dental disease group, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Devriesea agamarum, Serratia marcescens, and the Aspergillus genus. Additionally, the microbiota of bearded dragons that consumed fruit was significantly altered.

CONCLUSIONS

There were distinct organisms in the oral microbiota attributed to dental disease, with specific organisms more abundant in diseased individuals, suggesting an association with disease. Bearded dragons fed fruit had more abundant microbial species, indicating fruit consumption may promote oral microbial overgrowth.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Both differences in the oral microbiota and increased prevalence of specific species associated with dental health status and diet should be considered when making husbandry and therapeutic decisions for bearded dragons.