Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Changes in the mouth bacteria of cats with chronic gum disease
By Claire A. Shaw et al.·Published in Bacteria·2025·Department of Population Health and Reproduction, 100K Pathogen Genome Project, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Inflammation-Driven Species-Level Shifts in the Oral Microbiome of Refractory Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A cat suffering from chronic gingivostomatitis, a painful oral condition, was initially unresponsive to treatment for 17 months. Researchers studied the cat's oral bacteria and found significant changes in the types of bacteria present when the cat finally started responding to treatment. Specifically, certain bacteria like Capnocytophaga were more abundant when the cat began to improve. This suggests that monitoring the oral microbiome could help veterinarians tailor treatments for cats with similar oral health issues, potentially leading to better outcomes.
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Abstract
The cat oral microbiome plays an important role in maintaining host health, yet little is known about how to apply microbial data in a clinical setting. One such use of microbiome signatures is in cases of feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), a severe debilitating complex disease of the oral cavity. FCGS-afflicted cats have limited treatment options, and individual patient responses to treatment are needed. In this work, we used deep sequencing of total RNA of the oral microbiome to chronicle microbial changes that accompanied an FCGS-afflicted cat’s change from treatment-non-responsive to treatment-responsive within a 17-month span. The oral microbiome composition of the two treatment-non-responsive time points differed from that of the treatment-responsive point, with notable shifts in the abundance of <i>Myscoplasmopsis</i>, <i>Aspergillus</i>, and <i>Capnocytophaga</i> species. Intriguingly, the presence of the fungal groups <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Candida</i> primarily differentiated the two non-responsive microbiomes. Associated with responder status were multiple <i>Capnocytophaga</i> species, including <i>Capnocytophaga</i> sp. H2931, <i>Capnocytophaga gingivalis</i>, and <i>Capnocytophaga canimorsus</i>. The observation that the oral microbiome shifts in tandem by response to treatment in FCGS suggests a potential use for microbiome evaluations in a clinical setting. This work contributes to developing improved molecular diagnostics for enhanced efficacy of individualized treatment plans to improve oral disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/bacteria4010001