Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fecal microbiome changes in cats with diarrhea
By Suchodolski, Jan S et al.·Published in PloS one·2015·Texas A&M University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The fecal microbiome in cats with diarrhea.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with diarrhea was studied to understand how their gut bacteria differed from healthy cats. Researchers found that certain bacteria were more common in cats with diarrhea, while others were more prevalent in healthy cats. Specifically, some harmful bacteria increased in cats with diarrhea, while beneficial bacteria decreased. These changes in gut bacteria were linked to alterations in how the body processes nutrients. Understanding these differences could help in developing better treatments for cats suffering from diarrhea in the future.
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Abstract
Recent studies have revealed that microbes play an important role in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in various animal species, but only limited data is available about the microbiome in cats with GI disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fecal microbiome in cats with diarrhea. Fecal samples were obtained from healthy cats (n = 21) and cats with acute (n = 19) or chronic diarrhea (n = 29) and analyzed by sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, and PICRUSt was used to predict the functional gene content of the microbiome. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) revealed significant differences in bacterial groups between healthy cats and cats with diarrhea. The order Burkholderiales, the families Enterobacteriaceae, and the genera Streptococcus and Collinsella were significantly increased in diarrheic cats. In contrast the order Campylobacterales, the family Bacteroidaceae, and the genera Megamonas, Helicobacter, and Roseburia were significantly increased in healthy cats. Phylum Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased in cats with chronic diarrhea (>21 days duration), while the class Erysipelotrichi and the genus Lactobacillus were significantly decreased in cats with acute diarrhea. The observed changes in bacterial groups were accompanied by significant differences in functional gene contents: metabolism of fatty acids, biosynthesis of glycosphingolipids, metabolism of biotin, metabolism of tryptophan, and ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, were all significantly (p<0.001) altered in cats with diarrhea. In conclusion, significant differences in the fecal microbiomes between healthy cats and cats with diarrhea were identified. This dysbiosis was accompanied by changes in bacterial functional gene categories. Future studies are warranted to evaluate if these microbial changes correlate with changes in fecal concentrations of microbial metabolites in cats with diarrhea for the identification of potential diagnostic or therapeutic targets.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25992741/