Three strains (YZ01T, YZ02 and YZ03) of Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic rods were isolated from the forestomach contents collected from a captive male proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) at Yokohama Zoo in Japan. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that these strains belonged to the genus Lactobacillus. Based on the sequence similarity of the 16S rRNA gene, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. indicus JCM 15610T was the closest phylogenetic neighbour to YZ01T. Sequence analyses of two partial concatenated housekeeping genes, the RNA polymerase alpha subunit (rpoA) and phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase alpha subunit (pheS) also indicated that the novel strains belonged to the genus Lactobacillus. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) between L. delbrueckii subsp. indicus and YZ01T were 85.9 and 31.4 %, respectively. The phylogenetic tree based on the whole genomic data of strains YZ01T, YZ02 and YZ03 suggested that these three strains formed a single monophyletic cluster in the genus Lactobacillus, indicating that it belonged to a new species. The DNA G+C content of strain YZ01T was 51.6 mol%. The major fatty acids were C16 : 0 and C18 : 1 ω9c. Therefore, based on phylogenetic, phenotypic and physiological evidence, strains YZ01T, YZ02 and YZ03 represent a novel species of the genus Lactobacillus, for which the name Lactobacillus nasalidis sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain YZ01T (=JCM 33769T=DSM 110539T).
In animal husbandry, diets should help in maintaining a healthy body condition, support reproduction, and promote species-specific longevity. It is recommended to feed folivorous primates kept in zoos a high-fiber diet, i.e., leaves, although satisfying such a requirement is challenging in temperate regions because it is difficult to obtain fresh leaves, especially in autumn and winter. As equally important for their appropriate treatment, it is valuable to provide details of clinical reports of medical problems and pathological findings, although such clinical reports are rather limited. Therefore, in foregut-fermenting proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus), we (1) described the individual clinical reports of renal disease and weight loss at the Yokohama Zoological Gardens in Japan, (2) determined the nutritional profile of the diets supplied to these animals because other potential triggers for their renal disease and weight loss could be excluded, (3) modified the diet regimen to minimize weight loss and the development of hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia, and (4) assessed the effects of such dietary modification by comparing the body weight and the Ca and P concentrations and the Ca/P ratios in the blood before and after diet modification with a comparison of these measurements between zoo and free-ranging individuals. Based on the nutritional profile of the diets, we concluded that the reported cases of renal failure might be caused by consumption of leaves with a Ca/P ratio far above the appropriate level in autumn and winter. Additionally, the dietary modification of minerals and metabolizable energy achieved certain beneficial effects on zoo-kept proboscis monkeys.