Gastrointestinal microorganisms in cats and dogs: a brief review

Abstract

RESUMENEl tracto gastrointestinal (GI) de animales contiene diferentes tipos de microorganismos conocido como la microbiota GI. Por mucho tiempo, la microbiota GI ha generado interés porque los microorganismos GI están involucrados en múltiples procesos fisiológicos en el hospedero, así perpetuando salud o enfermedad. Estudios recientes han demostrado que la microbiota GI de gatos y perros es tan compleja como en humanos y otros animales, revelado con el uso de tecnologías de secuencia modernas y otras técnicas moleculares. La microbiota GI incluye miembros de todos los tres dominios principales de vida (Archaea, Bacterias y Eucariotas), pero las bacterias son el grupo de microorganismos más abundante y metabólicamente activo. El estómago de gatos y perros esta principalmente poblado de Helicobacter spp., el cual en perros puede representar tanto como el 98% de toda la microbiota bacteriana en el estómago. El intestino delgado contiene una microbiota más diversa, conteniendo representantes de al menos cinco diferentes filos bacterianos (principalmente Firmicutes y Bacteroidetes). El intestino grueso contiene el grupo de bacterias más abundante (~10 11 células bacterianas por gramo de contenido intestinal), diverso (al menos diez diferentes filos han sido detectados) y metabólicamente relevante en el tracto GI. La mayoría de las bacterias en el intestino grueso son anaerobios estrictos, los cuales dependen de la fermentación de sustancias no digeridas para subsistir. Aunque estudios recientes han dilucidado las complejidades de la microbiota GI en gatos y perros, más investigación todavía es necesaria para encontrar maneras de manipular exitosamente los microorganismos GI para prevenir y/o tratar enfermedades GI.Palabras clave: gastrointestinal, microbiota, gatos, perros. SUMMARYThe gastrointestinal (GI) tract of animals contains different types of microorganisms known as the GI microbiota. The GI microbiota has long been of interest because of its involvement in multiple physiological processes in the host, influencing health or disease. Recent studies have shown that the GI microbiota of cats and dogs is as complex as the one present in humans and other animals, according to state-of-the-art sequencing technologies and other molecular techniques. The GI microbiota includes members of all three main life domains (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes), with bacteria being the most abundant and metabolically active group of microorganisms. The stomach of cats and dogs is mainly inhabited by Helicobacter spp., which in dogs may account for as much as 98% of all gastric bacterial microbiota. The small intestine harbors a more diverse microbiota as it contains representatives from at least five bacterial phyla (mainly Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes). The large intestine harbors the most abundant (~10 11 bacterial cells per gram of intestinal content), diverse (at least 10 bacterial phyla have been identified) and physiologically relevant group of bacteria in the GI tract. Most bacteria in the large intestine are strict an...

Role of gut microbiota in dog and cat’s health and diseases

“…The same condition has been found in human and cats IBD. These results underline the importance of those clusters of bacteria, which also produce SCFAs, in the maintenance of gastrointestinal health (Suchodolski et al, 2012;Garcia-Mazcorro and Minamoto, 2013).…”

Development and validation of the Simulator of the Canine Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SCIME)1

“…However, Garcia-Mazcorro et al showed a more dominant presence of Firmicutes (75-98%) in the fecal community of dogs using 454-pyrosequencing (Garcia-Mazcorro et al, 2012). These observed discrepancies might be explained by the molecular method used, which should be considered when abundances of gut microbiota are compared among different studies (Garcia-Mazcorro and Minamoto, 2013). While the Firmicutes phylum strongly dominated the canine feces in the current study, with a relative abundance of 94.4%, the predominant bacterial phyla present in the PC and DC of the SCIME™ corresponded with the main bacterial phyla detected in the fecal material of the dogs, resulting in an average community composition along the simulated canine gastrointestinal tract of 50.5% Firmicutes, 34.5% Bacteroidetes, 7.4% Fusobacteria, 4.9% Actinobacteria and 2.7% Proteobacteria.…”

Metagenomic insights into the roles of Proteobacteria in the gastrointestinal microbiomes of healthy dogs and cats

“…Bacterial 16S rRNA gene surveys have shown that, like other mammals, dogs and cats harbor complex GI microbial communities whose taxonomic compositions vary not only by diet but also factors such as age (Deusch et al., ), incidence of metabolic disorders (e.g., obesity, diabetes) (Bell et al., ; Handl et al., ; Park et al., ) and intestinal issues (e.g., IBD, diarrhea) (Guard et al., ; Suchodolski, Markel, et al., ; Suchodolski et al., ). In clinically healthy dogs and cats, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are generally the dominant phyla found in the fecal microbiome, with Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria also featuring prominently (Deng & Swanson, ; Garcia‐Mazcorro & Minamoto, ). In the dog and cat, the general roles and functions of these bacterial phyla are assumed to be similar to their roles in the gut microbiota of model organisms such as humans and rodents, for which, more information is available.…”