Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral bacteria in healthy 6-8 month old small breed puppies
By Morita, Masahiro et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2024·Department of Health Promotion, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Characterization of oral microbiota in 6-8-month-old small breed dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 small breed puppies, aged around 7 months, had their mouth plaque analyzed to understand the bacteria present in their healthy gums. The study found that the puppies had a variety of bacteria, mostly from groups known to be common in dogs, but some were more abundant than others. Interestingly, dental care practices and any retained baby teeth did not seem to affect the types of bacteria found. This research helps us understand how the oral bacteria in young dogs are developing as they grow.
People also search for: puppy dental care · small breed dog oral health · bacteria in puppy mouth · periodontitis in dogs · retained baby teeth in puppies
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is the most common oral disease in dogs, and its progression and severity are influenced by risk factors, such as age and body size. Recent studies have assessed the canine oral microbiota in relation to different stages of periodontitis and niches within the oral cavity. However, knowledge of the bacterial composition at different ages and body sizes, especially in puppies, is limited. This study aimed to characterize the oral microbiota in the healthy gingiva of small breed puppies using next-generation sequencing. Additionally, we assessed the impact of dental care practices and the presence of retained deciduous teeth on the oral microbiota. RESULTS: In this study, plaque samples were collected from the gingival margin of 20 small breed puppies (age, 6.9 ± 0.6 months). The plaque samples were subjected to next-generation sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16 S rRNA. The microbiota of the plaque samples was composed mostly of gram-negative bacteria, primarily Proteobacteria (54.12%), Bacteroidetes (28.79%), and Fusobacteria (5.11%). Moraxella sp. COT-017, Capnocytophaga cynodegmi COT-254, and Bergeyella zoohelcum COT-186 were abundant in the oral cavity of the puppies. In contrast, Neisseria animaloris were not detected. The high abundance of Pasteurellaceae suggests that this genus is characteristic of the oral microbiota in puppies. Dental care practices and the presence of retained deciduous teeth showed no effects on the oral microbiota. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, many bacterial species previously reported to be detected in the normal oral cavity of adult dogs were also detected in 6-8-month-old small breed dogs. On the other hand, some bacterial species were not detected at all, while others were detected in high abundance. These data indicate that the oral microbiota of 6-8-month-old small breed dogs is in the process of maturating in to the adult microbiota and may also have characteristics of the small dog oral microbiota.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38580990/