Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vaginal bacteria changes in healthy and infected female dogs
By Golińska, Edyta et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2021·Jagiellonian University Medical College·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The vaginal microflora changes in various stages of the estrous cycle of healthy female dogs and the ones with genital tract infections.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 39 female dogs was examined to understand changes in vaginal bacteria during different stages of their heat cycle, especially in those with genital tract infections. Ten dogs had infections, while 29 were healthy. The most common bacteria found in both groups were E. coli and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. The study suggested that testing for bacteria in healthy dogs may not be very useful unless there are signs of disease, and that a thorough clinical exam should come first.
People also search for: dog vaginal infection symptoms · female dog heat cycle bacteria · E. coli in dogs · dog reproductive tract health
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Inflammatory diseases of reproductive tract in bitches are a common problem in veterinary practice. The inflammation can lead to serious health problems. Research to determine the correlation between the health status of females, phase of the cycle, age and bacterial flora of the genital tract has been ongoing for years, but the results obtained by individual authors are often contradictory. RESULTS: A total of 39 dogs were included in this study. Ten were qualified to the 1st group with genital tract infections (8 in anestrus and 2 in proestrus) and 29 to the 2nd group without such infections (16 in anestrus, 9 in proestrus and 4 in diestrus). The most common bacterial isolates obtained from the vaginal tract of all dogs were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Streptococcus canis. The prevalence of Gram-negative rods (other than E. coli) was significantly higher in the group with genital tract infections versus healthy dogs. There was no presence of Chlamydiaceae, Chlamydia abortus and lactic acid-producing bacteria in tested swabs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study identified the most common bacteria in the genital tract of bitches. The total number of bacteria was almost the same in the healthy and infected dogs, as well as between the cycle stages. In our opinion, bacterial culturing of vaginal swab specimens from bitches without signs of genital disease is of little value. Furthermore, it should always be preceded by clinical examination and cytological examination of the vaginal epithelium.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33407480/