Beetles (Coleoptera) have the highest species diversity among all orders, and they have diverse food habits. Gut microbes may have contributed to this diversification of food habits. Here, we identified the pattern of the relationship between ground-dwelling beetles and their gut microbial communities (bacteria and fungi) in the field. We collected 46 beetle species of five families from secondary deciduous forests and grasslands in Japan and extracted microbial DNA from whole guts for amplicon sequencing. The gut bacterial and fungal communities differed among all habitats and all food habits of their hosts (carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and scavengers) except for the fungal communities between carnivores and scavengers. Specifically, the abundant bacterial group varied among food habits: Xanthomonadaceae were abundant in scavengers, whereas Enterobacteriaceae were abundant in carnivores and herbivores. Phylogenetically closely related beetles had phylogenetically similar communities of Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting that the community structure of this family is related to the evolutionary change in beetle ecology. One of the fungal groups, Yarrowia species, which has been reported to have a symbiotic relationship with silphid beetles, was also detected from various carnivorous beetles. Our results suggest that the symbiotic relationships between ground-dwelling beetles and these microbes are widespread.

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Timolol maleate (TM), a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, is widely used for canine antiglaucoma eye drops; however, its bioavailability is <5%. Our previous study revealed that magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (nMH) have potency in improving the bioavailability of fixed-combined TM in rodent models. This study aimed to investigate whether the fixed combination with nMH improves the ocular hypotensive effect of TM and affects pupil size (PS), heart rate (HR), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in clinically healthy dogs. Five clinically healthy dogs were administered topical saline, commercial 0.5% TM, and a 0.01% or 0.1% nMH–0.5% TM fixed combination (0.01% or 0.1% nMH–TM) twice daily in one eye for 7 days with at least a 28-day interval. The changes from baseline were calculated and were statistically analyzed for each drug. IOP was significantly reduced in both 0.01% and 0.1% nMH–TM-treated-dogs compared with saline- and TM-treated dogs. Meanwhile, 0.01% and 0.1% nMH did not exacerbate the side effects of TM. From these results, nMH improved the ocular hypotensive effect of TM without enhancing side effects. Topical nMH–TM is potentially more effective for canine ocular hypotensive eye drops than TM.

Objective To establish a primary cell culture and clarify the characteristics of canine corneal endothelial cells in vitro. Procedures The eyes were enucleated from dogs that were euthanized for reasons unrelated to this study. Enucleated canine eyes were dissected, and the intact corneas were isolated from the globes. Using enzymes, the corneal endothelial cells were dispersed from the cornea. The obtained canine corneal endothelial cells were cultured in a cell culture dish. Cultured corneal endothelial cells were morphologically evaluated using phase‐contrast microscopy. Immunohistochemical analysis of the cultured cells, particularly of the corneal endothelial cell marker, zonula occludens‐1 (ZO‐1), Na+/K+‐ATPase, and vimentin, was performed to clarify whether the cultured cells were actually corneal endothelial cells. Furthermore, the post‐passage morphology of cultured cells was evaluated. Results Canine primary cultured corneal endothelial cells showed morphologically small, cobblestone‐like structures. The isolated cells had proliferative ability in vitro and demonstrated positive expression of the corneal endothelial cell markers, ZO‐1, Na+/K+‐ATPase, and vimentin. However, repeated passages resulted in larger cell sizes as assessed by phase‐contrast microscopy. Repeated passages also resulted in lower cell density. Conclusions This study demonstrated the successful culture of canine corneal endothelial cells. This might enhance the understanding of corneal endothelial cell characteristics in dogs.

This study aimed to compare the in vitro and in vivo retention, bacterial adhesion, and biofilm formation between anionic and zwitterionic bandage contact lenses (BCLs) in healthy canines. BCL retention and tolerance were evaluated in 10 healthy canines via a single-masked, crossover study for 7 days. To compare in vitro bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, four Staphylococcus strains were incubated with the BCLs at 37 °C for 2 or 24 h, and the bacterial colony forming units (CFUs) adhering to the BCLs were counted. Next, to compare in vivo bacterial adhesion, the CFUs of bacteria adhering to the BCLs worn by canines for 24 h were counted. Anionic lenses significantly retained and reduced in vitro bacterial adhesion than in the zwitterionic lenses. However, the amount of in vitro biofilm formation was more likely to be higher on anionic lenses than on zwitterionic lenses. In vivo bacterial adhesion was not significantly different between the two types of BCLs. Nevertheless, both BCLs were well-tolerated by the canines; thus, their short-term use in dogs can be recommended as safe.