Although it is established that the composition of the human intestinal microbiota changes with age, transition of the intestinal microbiota of animals with
age has not been well studied. In the present study, we collected fresh fecal samples from dogs of 5 different age groups (pre-weanling, weanling, young, aged,
senile) and analyzed the compositions of their intestinal microbiota with a culture-based method. The results suggested that the composition of the canine
intestinal microbiota also changes with age. Among intestinal bacteria predominant in dog intestines, lactobacilli appeared to change with age. Both the number
and the prevalence of lactobacilli tended to decrease when dogs became older. Bifidobacteria, on the other hand, was not predominant in the intestine of the
dogs. We also identified lactobacilli at the species level based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and found that the species composition of
Lactobacillus also changed with age. It was further suggested that bacteria species beneficial to host animals may differ depending on the
host species.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.