Development of lyophilized faecal inoculation capsules for use in koala rehabilitation and conservation
- 1The University of Queensland
Abstract
As a specialist herbivore, koalas rely on their gut microbiomes to help digest their toxic and fibrous diet of Eucalyptus leaves. Without these critical microbes, koalas may not be able to obtain the nutrients and energy they need to survive. As such, a large proportion of koalas that undergo rehabilitation for chlamydiosis develop gut dysbiosis from the antibiotic treatment and are either euthanized or die. Here we aimed to modify previously developed fresh faecal inoculation capsules for an extended shelf-life such that they could be applied in a clinical setting to prevent or treat gut dysbiosis. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing we demonstrated that air-drying faecal material leads to an overgrowth of facultative anaerobes, whereas lyophilised material retains a similar microbial composition to fresh material. Initial survival of koala faecal microbes as assessed by live/dead staining combined with microscopy was high after lyophilisation regardless of which excipient was used, except for 20% glycerol that resulted in ~15% lower survival than other treatments. Lyophilised fine particles extracted from koala faeces and packaged into acid-resistant capsules maintained their original microbial composition and had high microbial survival over a year, regardless of the excipient used. Dry-fill, single-layer capsules maintained integrity after 10 hrs in synthetic koala stomach acid. These capsules may be useful in adapting the gut microbiomes of koalas to novel diets e.g. during translocations. However, attempts to apply the capsules in the clinical setting were unsuccessful due to unanticipated difficulties in administrating the capsules to sick koalas.
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BibTeX
@misc{blyton2026development,
title = {{Development of lyophilized faecal inoculation capsules for use in koala rehabilitation and conservation}},
author = {M. D. J. Blyton and L. Dierens and M. Lacour and P. Hugenholtz},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.28.754943},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.28.754943v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Development of lyophilized faecal inoculation capsules for use in koala rehabilitation and conservation
AU - M. D. J. Blyton
AU - L. Dierens
AU - M. Lacour
AU - P. Hugenholtz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/28
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.28.754943
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.28.754943v1
AB - As a specialist herbivore, koalas rely on their gut microbiomes to help digest their toxic and fibrous diet of Eucalyptus leaves. Without these critical microbes, koalas may not be able to obtain the nutrients and energy they need to survive. As such, a large proportion of koalas that undergo rehabilitation for chlamydiosis develop gut dysbiosis from the antibiotic treatment and are either euthanized or die. Here we aimed to modify previously developed fresh faecal inoculation capsules for an extended shelf-life such that they could be applied in a clinical setting to prevent or treat gut dysbiosis. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing we demonstrated that air-drying faecal material leads to an overgrowth of facultative anaerobes, whereas lyophilised material retains a similar microbial composition to fresh material. Initial survival of koala faecal microbes as assessed by live/dead staining combined with microscopy was high after lyophilisation regardless of which excipient was used, except for 20% glycerol that resulted in ~15% lower survival than other treatments. Lyophilised fine particles extracted from koala faeces and packaged into acid-resistant capsules maintained their original microbial composition and had high microbial survival over a year, regardless of the excipient used. Dry-fill, single-layer capsules maintained integrity after 10 hrs in synthetic koala stomach acid. These capsules may be useful in adapting the gut microbiomes of koalas to novel diets e.g. during translocations. However, attempts to apply the capsules in the clinical setting were unsuccessful due to unanticipated difficulties in administrating the capsules to sick koalas.
ER -