Faecal microbiota in lean and obese dogs

Abstract

Previous work has shown obesity to be associated with changes in intestinal microbiota. While obesity is common in dogs, limited information is available about the role of the intestinal microbiota. The aim of this study was to investigate whether alterations in the intestinal microbiota may be associated with canine obesity. Using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and quantitative real-time PCR, we evaluated the composition of the faecal microbiota in 22 lean and 21 obese pet dogs, as well as in five research dogs fed ad libitum and four research dogs serving as lean controls. Firmicutes, Fusobacteria and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacterial phyla. The phylum Actinobacteria and the genus Roseburia were significantly more abundant in the obese pet dogs. The order Clostridiales significantly increased under ad libitum feeding in the research dogs. Canine intestinal microbiota is highly diverse and shows considerable interindividual variation. In the pet dogs, influence on the intestinal microbiota besides body condition, like age, breed, diet or lifestyle, might have masked the effect of obesity. The study population of research dogs was small, and further work is required before the role of the intestinal microbiota in canine obesity is clarified.

Association of Obesity with Serum Leptin, Adiponectin, and Serotonin and Gut Microflora in Beagle Dogs

“…Obesity was induced by ad libitum feeding for 6 months, and the same commercially available food was used in both groups. Handl et al18 used the same feeding strategy and observed that obese dogs contained increased proportions of the major bacterial phylum (>90% Firmicutes, approximately 2% of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria, respectively, and no significant differences were observed in the microbial communities of the ad libitum fed and restricted‐diet group, except the order Clostridiales 16. Our results showed significant differences in the microbial communities in the lean and obese groups.…”

“…The phylum Firmicutes (85.2%) was the most dominant group, but Actinobacteria (7.94%) were more abundant than Bacteroidetes (2.34%) in the lean group. In a canine obesity model study,18 Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the predominant bacterial phyla. The phylum Actinobacteria and the genus Roseburia were significantly more abundant in obese pet dogs.…”

“…The phylum Actinobacteria and the genus Roseburia were significantly more abundant in obese pet dogs. In addition, obesity induced by ad libitum feeding was associated with a significant increase in the order Clostridiales 18. The composition of the intestinal microbiota is influenced by body fat mass, sex, diet, age, breed, and kinship 39, 40, 41.…”

“…Operative taxonomic units (OTUs) were generated by the CD‐HIT‐OTU software using the following cutoff values for similarity: species, 97%; genus, 94%; family, 90%; order, 85%; class, 80%; phylum, 75% 18. The Mothur software (version 1.31.0)11 was used to evaluate microbial diversities 24.…”

“…Obesity is associated with changes in the gut microbiota in humans11 and in animal models 8, 16. However, recent metagenomics studies using a canine obesity model yielded results that were inconsistent with mouse model studies 8, 18. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the peripheral concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, and 5HT, and the lipid profiles of lean Beagle dogs and dogs with ad libitum feeding‐induced obesity and to examine differences in the gut microbiota composition in the 2 groups.…”