Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How epilepsy and treatment affect gut bacteria in dogs
By Sylvia García-Belenguer et al.·Published in Animals·2021·Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, Miguel Servet, 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Gut Microbiota in Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy: Effects of Disease and Treatment
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (a type of seizure disorder) had their gut bacteria analyzed to see how it might be affected by their condition and treatment with medications like phenobarbital or imepitoin. The study found that these dogs had fewer beneficial gut bacteria compared to healthy dogs, which could be linked to their seizures. Interestingly, the medications did not change the gut bacteria after 30 days of treatment. This research suggests that restoring healthy gut bacteria might be a new way to help dogs with epilepsy in the future.
People also search for: dog epilepsy treatment · gut bacteria and seizures in dogs · phenobarbital effects on dog gut health
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in humans and dogs. The structure and composition of gut microbiome associated to this disorder has not yet been analyzed in depth but there is evidence that suggests a possible influence of gut bacteria in controlling seizures. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in gut microbiota associated to canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE) and the possible influence of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on the modulation of this microbiota. Faecal microbiota composition was analyzed using sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene in a group of healthy controls (<i>n</i> = 12) and a group of epileptic dogs both before (<i>n</i> = 10) and after a 30-day single treatment with phenobarbital or imepitoin (<i>n</i> = 9). Epileptic dogs showed significantly reduced abundance of GABA (<i>Pseudomonadales</i>, <i>Pseudomonadaceae, Pseudomonas</i> and <i>Pseudomona_graminis</i>) and SCFAs-producing bacteria (<i>Peptococcaceae, Ruminococcaceae</i> and <i>Anaerotruncus</i>) as well as bacteria associated with reduced risk for brain disease (<i>Prevotellaceae</i>) than control dogs. The administration of AEDs during 30 days did not modify the gut microbiota composition. These results are expected to contribute to the understanding of canine idiopathic epilepsy and open up the possibility of studying new therapeutic approaches for this disorder, including probiotic intervention to restore gut microbiota in epileptic individuals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113121