Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Prednisone and ciclosporin do not change dog skin bacteria or yeast
By Widmer, Giovanni et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2018·Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Glucocorticosteroids and ciclosporin do not significantly impact canine cutaneous microbiota.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of six Maltese-beagle dogs with skin allergies received treatment with ciclosporin for one month, followed by prednisone for another month, to see if these medications affected their skin's natural bacteria and fungi. After testing their skin samples before and after treatment, researchers found that neither drug changed the diversity or amount of bacteria or Malassezia (a type of yeast) on their skin. Additionally, while some dogs tested positive for Papillomavirus, there was no clear link to the treatments. Overall, the study suggests that these medications do not harm the skin's natural microbiome.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · ciclosporin for dog allergies · prednisone side effects in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: As prednisone and ciclosporin can have immunosuppressive effects and have been considered potential predisposing factors for skin infections, we investigated the impact of these drugs on the diversity of the cutaneous microbiota, the abundance of Malassezia and infection with Papillomaviruses. RESULTS: Six atopic, asymptomatic Maltese-beagle dogs were treated with ciclosporin for one month and then with prednisone for another month, with a one-month wash-out between treatments. The dogs were sampled on the abdomen and pinna before and after each treatment using a swab. Samples for Papillomavirus detection were obtained with cytobrush sticks. The bacterial microbiota was characterized using 16S amplicon high-throughput sequencing. Malassezia populations were quantified with nested real-time PCR targeting the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1. The diversity and composition of cutaneous microbiota was not impacted in a detectable manner by any of the treatments. As observed for the bacterial microbiota, Malassezia populations were not affected by treatment. Three dogs were positive for Papillomavirus at more than one timepoint, but an association with treatment was not apparent. CONCLUSIONS: Ciclosporin and prednisone at doses used for the treatment of atopic dermatitis do not impact the canine cutaneous microbiota in a detectable manner.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29471815/