Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Understanding the gut microbiome in dogs and cats
By Suchodolski, Jan S·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2022·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Analysis of the gut microbiome in dogs and cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
The gut microbiome, which is made up of the bacteria living in the intestines, plays a crucial role in the health of dogs and cats. These bacteria help with digestion and can affect other organs like the kidneys, brain, and heart. When the balance of these bacteria is disrupted, a condition called dysbiosis occurs, which can lead to health problems. Researchers are using advanced techniques to study these bacteria, but there is still a lack of standard methods for comparing results across different studies. One useful tool is the Dysbiosis Index, which helps veterinarians assess the balance of gut bacteria in dogs over time and see how they respond to treatments like fecal microbiota transplantation. Overall, understanding the gut microbiome can help improve the health of pets with intestinal issues.
Abstract
The gut microbiome is an important immune and metabolic organ. Intestinal bacteria produce various metabolites that influence the health of the intestine and other organ systems, including kidney, brain, and heart. Changes in the microbiome in diseased states are termed dysbiosis. The concept of dysbiosis is constantly evolving and includes changes in microbiome diversity and/or structure and functional changes (eg, altered production of bacterial metabolites). Molecular tools are now the standard for microbiome analysis. Sequencing of microbial genes provides information about the bacteria present and their functional potential but lacks standardization and analytical validation of methods and consistency in the reporting of results. This makes it difficult to compare results across studies or for individual clinical patients. The Dysbiosis Index (DI) is a validated quantitative PCR assay for canine fecal samples that measures the abundance of seven important bacterial taxa and summarizes the results as one single number. Reference intervals are established for dogs, and the DI can be used to assess the microbiome in clinical patients over time and in response to therapy (eg, fecal microbiota transplantation). In situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry allows the identification of mucosa-adherent and intracellular bacteria in animals with intestinal disease, especially granulomatous colitis. Future directions include the measurement of bacterial metabolites in feces or serum as markers for the appropriate function of the microbiome. This article summarizes different approaches to the analysis of gut microbiota and how they might be applicable to research studies and clinical practice in dogs and cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34514619/