International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article The Gut Microbiota of the Egyptian Mongoose as an Early Warning Indicator of Ecosystem Health in Portugal Mónica V. Cunha 1,2,3,* , Teresa Albuquerque 1, Patrícia Themudo 1, Carlos Fonseca 4, Victor Bandeira 4 and Luís M. Rosalino 2,4 1 National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV, IP), Wildlife, Hunting and Biodiversity R&D Unit, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal;
[email protected] (T.A.);
[email protected] (P.T.) 2 Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
[email protected] 3 Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal 4 Departamento de Biologia & CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
[email protected] (C.F.);
[email protected] (V.B.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +351-214-403-500 Received: 1 April 2020; Accepted: 27 April 2020; Published: 29 April 2020 Abstract: The Egyptian mongoose is a carnivore mammal species that in the last decades experienced a tremendous expansion in Iberia, particularly in Portugal, mainly due to its remarkable ecological plasticity in response to land-use changes. However, this species may have a disruptive role on native communities in areas where it has recently arrived due to predation and the potential introduction of novel pathogens. We report reference information on the cultivable gut microbial landscape of widely distributed Egyptian mongoose populations (Herpestes ichneumon, n = 53) and related antimicrobial tolerance across environmental gradients.