Isolation and Preliminary Analysis of Bifidobacterium Strains from Fecal Samples of Mongolian Individuals

Bifidobacterium Diversity in Mongolian Gut

Authors

Keywords:

Microbiome, Bifidobacterium, Urban, Rural, Species abundance

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to characterize Bifidobacterium species in the gut microbiome of ethnic Mongolian individuals, determine their distribution based on geographic location, age, and sex, and isolate representative strains under laboratory conditions. Methods: A total of 100 stool samples were collected from 50 urban and 50 rural participants over the age of 18, with a balanced gender ratio. Rural participants were herders and maintained a traditional nomadic lifestyle. Data analysis was conducted using the R software and MetaPhlAn tool to profile microbial communities at the species level. Results: A total of 13 Bifidobacterium species were identified across the 100 samples. Species such as B. adolescentis, B. angulatum, B. longum, B. bifidum, B. catenulatum, B. dentium, and B. breve were predominantly found in rural participants, whereas B. pseudocatenulatum, B. ruminantium, B. animalis, B. scardovii, and B. kashiwanohense were more prevalent in urban participants. The overall species richness of Bifidobacterium was 2.9 times higher in rural participants than in urban ones. Culturable isolates frequently showed 2–3 morphologically distinct colony types per sample. Conclusions: Bifidobacterium species richness increased with age in rural participants, whereas it decreased with age in urban participants. Female participants had greater species diversity than males. 

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Author Biographies

Tuul Nyambal, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Mongolian National University of Medical Science, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Tuul Nyambal is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences. Her research focuses on gut microbiota, traditional diets, and public health nutrition in Mongolia.

Alexander Hübner, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Federal Republic of Germany

Alexander Hübner is a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. His academic background includes extensive work in archaeogenetics and evolutionary genetics, with prior research positions at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena. He holds a PhD in Evolutionary Genetics and has contributed to interdisciplinary research on ancient DNA and human evolution.

Khulan Lkhamsuren, School of Public Health, Mongolian National University of Medical Science, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Khulan Lkhamsuren is a science teacher at the American School of Ulaanbaatar and a former Junior Lecturer at MNUMS, with experience in health science and international academic relations. Molecular biologist. Now she is currently studying for a doctorate in the School of Public Health at the MNUMS.

Ser-Od Khuygaa, School of Public Health, Mongolian National University of Medical Science, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Serod Khuyagaa is a lecturer in epidemiology and biostatistics at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS) and currently serves as Head of the Health Statistics and Geographical Information Center at the Institute of Public Health. He holds a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics from the National University of Mongolia. His research interests include applied statistics, noncommunicable diseases, and spatial health data analysis.

Raphaela Stahl, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Federal Republic of Germany

Raphaela Stahl is a researcher in archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. Her work focuses on the analysis of ancient microbial communities and human microbiome evolution. She has contributed to interdisciplinary studies on paleogenomics, dental plaque microbiota, and endolithic microbial ecosystems, with publications in journals such as Nature Communications and preprint archives like bioRxiv.

Anuujin Gantumur, Department of Microbiology and Infection Prevention Control, School of Biomedicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Anuujin Gantumur is a teacher and a researcher affiliated with the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS). Her scientific work focuses on virology, gut microbiota, and public health surveillance, contributing to studies on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, hepatitis virus diversity, and intestinal microbiome composition among Mongolian populations. She has co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in international journals and actively participates in collaborative biomedical research.

Battogtokh Chimeddorj, Department of Microbiology and Infection Prevention Control, School of Biomedicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Battogtokh Chimeddorj, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Microbiology at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS). Her research spans microbial pathogenesis, infectious disease epidemiology, and host-microbe interactions, with notable contributions to studies on HPV, HIV, SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, and gut microbiota. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and plays an active role in public health-oriented microbiological research in Mongolia.

Davaalkham Dambadarjaa, School of Public Health, Mongolian National University of Medical Science

Davaalkham Dambadarjaa, MD, PhD, is a professor and Dean of the School of Public Health at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Her research focuses on public health, air quality, tobacco control, and preventive medicine. She has authored numerous scientific articles addressing environmental health risks and behavioral interventions, and she plays a leading role in advancing health science education and research in Mongolia.

Khosbayar Tulgaa, Clinical Molecular Diagnostics Center, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dr. Khosbayar Tulgaa, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in the Clinical Molecular Diagnostics Center at the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences (MNUMS). He holds a doctorate in Molecular Biology and Genetics and has been actively engaged in teaching and research since 2003. His scientific interests focus on clinical diagnostics, molecular epidemiology, and human genetics, with multiple publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Currently working at the World Health Organization.

Christina Warinner, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Federal Republic of Germany

Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Harvard, United States of America

Soninkhishig Tsolmon, School of Management, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Associate Professor Soninkhishig Tsolmon is a lecturer in the School of Management, Mongolian University of Science and Technology. She previously served in the Department of Biotechnology and Nutrition at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport, USA. Her academic and professional interests focus on nutrition education, food science, dietition, Mars food, Aero nutrient, gut microbiome and human health.

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Published

2026-06-02

How to Cite

Nyambal, T., Hübner, A., Lkhamsuren, K., Khuygaa, S.-O., Stahl, R., Gantumur, A., Chimeddorj, B. ., Dambadarjaa, D., Tulgaa, K., Warinner, C., & Tsolmon, S. (2026). Isolation and Preliminary Analysis of Bifidobacterium Strains from Fecal Samples of Mongolian Individuals: Bifidobacterium Diversity in Mongolian Gut. Central Asian Journal of Medical Sciences, 12(2), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.24079/cajms.2026.02.003

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Vol. 12 No. 2 (2026)

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Nyambal, T., Hübner, A., Lkhamsuren, K., Khuygaa, S.-O., Stahl, R., Gantumur, A., Chimeddorj, B. ., Dambadarjaa, D., Tulgaa, K., Warinner, C., & Tsolmon, S. (2026). Isolation and Preliminary Analysis of Bifidobacterium Strains from Fecal Samples of Mongolian Individuals: Bifidobacterium Diversity in Mongolian Gut. Central Asian Journal of Medical Sciences, 12(2), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.24079/cajms.2026.02.003

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