Microbiological analysis of the uterus and vagina of nulliparous and non-nulliparous agoutis (Dasyprocta azarae)

The genital organs of domestic animals are usually colonized by several microorganisms. This paper aims at describing the uterine and vaginal microbiota of nulliparous and non-nulliparous agoutis, which belong to the Catanduva City Zoo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. During the procedure of ovariosalpingohisterectomy, material was collected for microbiological analysis through the introduction of sterile swabs in the vagina and in each uterine horn. The presence of Proteus sp. was observed in the uterine material of only one animal. In the vaginal material of all animals, several bacteriae (Proteus sp., Escherichia coli, Citrobacter sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Staphylococcus sp.) and yeasts were found. The vaginal and uterine microbiota of agoutis presents a colonization pattern different from that observed in other domestic animals, in women, and in female rats.