Comparison of Intestinal Microbiota Between Healthy and MMVD Chihuahuas Using 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing

Abstract

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common cause of congestive heart failure in dogs, and although complications of MMVD to the lungs and kidneys have been identified, complications to the gut are less well understood. The intestinal microbiota is an important factor in the gut, and although the association between heart disease and the intestinal microbiota has been shown in human medicine, it is unknown in dogs. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between MMVD and gut microbiota. A total of 69 healthy Chihuahuas and Chihuahuas with MMVD were evaluated for cardiac health by echocardiography and chest radiography and grouped according to ACVIM guidelines. Fecal samples were collected from all cases and 16S rRNA sequencing was used to reveal the intestinal microbiota. There were significant differences in LA/Ao, LVIDd, E vel, VHS, and VLAS with the severity of ACVIM. On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the diversity and composition of gut microbiota among the groups. The present study did not identify the effects of MMVD on the gut microbiota.

The impact of protein source and grain inclusion on digestibility, fecal metabolites, and fecal microbiome in adult canines

“…Fecal samples from LA-GF had lower α-diversity compared with the others. However, no differences in fecal microbiota diversity and richness were observed in dogs with congestive heart failure ( Seo et al, 2020 ; Araki et al, 2022 ). Moreover, despite the lower diversity observed in the LA-GF group, all dogs remained healthy throughout the study.…”

“…Furthermore, in humans, research has been conducted on the correlation between the gut microbiome and the cardiac function ( Tang et al, 2019 ; Chaikijurajai and Tang, 2021 ). In dogs, only a few studies have investigated the relationship between microbiota and heart diseases and the results have been inconclusive ( Yu et al, 2018 ; Seo et al, 2020 ; Li et al, 2021 ; Araki et al, 2022 ).…”