Effect of Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea L.) on Intestinal Morphology, Digestion Activity and Microbiome of Chinese Pond Turtle ( Mauremys reevesii ) during Aeromonas hydrophila Infection.

Large-scale mortality due to () infection has considerably decreased the yield of the Chinese pond turtle (). Purslane is a naturally active substance with a wide range of pharmacological functions, but its antibacterial effect on Chinese pond turtles infected by infection is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of purslane on intestinal morphology, digestion activity, and microbiome of Chinese pond turtles during infection. The results showed that purslane promoted epidermal neogenesis of the limbs and increased the survival and feeding rates of Chinese pond turtles during infection. Histopathological observation and enzyme activity assay indicated that purslane improved the intestinal morphology and digestive enzyme (α-amylase, lipase and pepsin) activities of Chinese pond turtle during infection. Microbiome analysis revealed that purslane increased the diversity of intestinal microbiota with a significant decrease in the proportion of potentially pathogenic bacteria (such as , , and ) and an increase in the abundance of probiotics (such as uncultured ). In conclusion, our study uncovers that purslane improves intestinal health to protect Chinese pond turtles against infection.