Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Giardiasis and diarrhea in dogs: Does the microbiome matter?
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Kuzi, Sharon et al.
- Affiliation:
- Hebrew University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Koret School of Veterinary Medicine
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at dogs infected with Giardia duodenalis, a parasite that can cause diarrhea. Researchers compared the gut bacteria of 38 dogs, some with diarrhea and some without, to see if there were any differences that might explain why some dogs get sick while others do not. They found that the overall composition of gut bacteria was similar between the two groups, and there was no significant imbalance in the gut bacteria that would indicate a problem. However, they did notice that male dogs with diarrhea had a higher diversity of gut bacteria compared to females. Overall, the findings suggest that the severity of giardiasis in dogs may depend on other factors, not just the gut bacteria.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Giardia duodenalis (Gd) causes intestinal parasitosis. The involvement of the intestinal microbiome in determining the infection's clinical phenotype is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the fecal microbiome features in dogs with giardiasis. ANIMALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study, including fecal samples of kenneled dogs with Gd diagnosed by fecal Giardia antigen dot ELISA. The fecal microbial compositional characteristics and dysbiosis index (DI) were compared between diarrheic and nondiarrheic dogs. RESULTS: Fecal samples of 38 Gd-infected dogs (diarrheic, 21; nondiarrheic, 17) were included. No differences were found in Faith's phylogenic diversity and beta diversity (weighted UniFrac distances) and in specific taxa abundances at the phylum, genus, and species levels, as well as in alpha and beta diversities between diarrheic and nondiarrheic dogs, and also when divided by sex or age. Among diarrheic dogs, alpha diversity was higher in males than in females (pairwise Kruskal-Wallis, q = 0.01). Among males, fecal abundances of the genus Clostridium (W = 19) and Clostridium spiroforme species (W = 33) were higher in diarrheic compared to nondiarrheic dogs. In diarrheic dog fecal samples, Proteobacteria were more prevalent (W = 1), whereas Verrucomicrobia were less prevalent in dogs <1 year of age than in older dogs. The fecal sample DI of 19 diarrheic and 19 nondiarrheic dogs was similar (median, -0.2; range, -4.3 to 4.5 and median, -1.0; range, -4.3 to 5.8, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The fecal microbial composition of symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs with giardiasis is similar. Based on fecal DI, giardiasis is not characterized by prominent dysbiosis. Other host and parasite characteristics might determine the severity of giardiasis in dogs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37890857/