On the afternoon of April 17, 2026, the 115th lecture of the “Chen Bangjie Lecture Series” was successfully held in the Round Conference Room on the third floor of Xingzhi Building. Invited by Professor Shixia Xu from the School of Life Sciences at Nanjing Normal University, Associate Professor Zhenxin Fan from the College of Life Sciences at Sichuan University visited and delivered a wonderful academic report titled Wildlife Gut Metagenomics and Probiotic Development. Faculty and students from the school actively participated in the academic exchange.
During the lecture, Associate Professor Fan systematically shared research on the interactions between wildlife gut microbiomes and their hosts, focusing on three major groups: non-human primates, wild freshwater fish, and small mammals. In macaque-related studies, he analyzed the mechanisms of gut microbiota imbalance in captive macaque diarrhea, isolated and identified pathogenic bacteria, performed drug susceptibility and genomic analyses, established a standardized fecal culturomics system, and screened gut microbial markers for macaque sexual maturity. In research on wild freshwater fish in Southwest China, based on large-scale metagenomic data, he confirmed Cetobacterium as the core dominant gut bacterium in fish, revealing its key role in driving vitamin B₁₂ synthesis. He also analyzed the impacts of geographical environment and human activities on fish microbial communities and resistance genes, and explored the functions of phage sequences. Using small mammals such as Apodemus agrarius as research subjects, he further explained the mechanism by which gut microbiota mediates host adaptation to high-altitude environments. Integrating multi-omics analysis and experimental verification, the report focused on host health, environmental adaptation, and ecological conservation, presenting concise, cutting-edge content with strong scientific inspiration.
After the lecture, Associate Professor Fan engaged in lively academic discussions with the audience. Faculty and students actively raised questions about wildlife microbiome sampling, microbial functional mechanisms, and other topics, which he answered in detail based on his research experience. The exchange atmosphere was vibrant.
This lecture provided a high-quality academic platform for faculty and students, broadened research horizons in the field of wildlife microbial ecology, stimulated in-depth thinking on host–microbe interactions, and encouraged young scholars to pursue research in life sciences and ecological conservation.