The knowledge of the microbiota present in different parts of the organism is important for the understanding of the infectious diseases of ostriches, although limited literature is available on this matter. The objective of this study was to determine the species of microorganisms (aerobic bacteria and fungi) that form the normal microbiota of ostriches. Samples from cloaca (N=50) and oropharynx (N=50) were collected from healthy ostriches of a breeder. In samples from cloaca, the following microorganisms were isolated: Escherichia coli (76% of the positive samples), Bacillus spp. (60%), Streptococcus spp. (18%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (16%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%), Rhodotorula spp. (8%), among others, considering that these microorganisms were isolated in pure culture or associated with other bacteria and/or fungi. In samples collected from oropharynx, the following microorganisms were isolated: E. coli (74% of the positive samples), Candida albicans (44%), Bacillus spp. (38%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (32%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (32%), Rhodotorula spp. (8%), Criptococcus spp. (4%), among others, considering that these microorganisms were isolated in pure culture or associated with other bacteria and/or fungi. A predominance of Gram negative bacteria in relation to Gram positive ones was observed in the microbiotas of cloaca and oropharynx. A similar frequence of occurrence between Gram negative bacteria in the microbiotas of cloaca and oropharynx, as well as Gram positive bacteria in these same areas, was verified. A higher occurrence of yeasts was observed in samples of oropharynx when compared to samples from cloaca.
avian pathology; cloaca; microbiota; oropharynx; ostrich
