Gut Microbiome Signatures of Yorkshire Terrier Enteropathy during Disease and Remission

Abstract

The role of the faecal microbiome in the pathogenesis of both human and canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been in the spotlight in recent years. While trying to unravel the mechanism of IBD, clear alterations in intestinal microbial composition in individuals with IBD have been reported in the past. However, data in veterinary medicine are still scarce and inconsistent. Currently, the exact role of the gut microbiota alterations in the different phenotypes of canine chronic enteropathies and the impact of treatment on it are not well established. The objective of this study was to investigate the difference in the gut microbiome composition of Yorkshire Terriers with breed specific IBD, or Yorkshire Terrier Enteropathy (YTE), during disease and remission compared to healthy Yorkshire Terriers. Microbiome analysis of YTE was mainly characterised by a significant relative enrichment in taxa including Clostrodium sensu stricto 1, Escherichia-Shigella, Streptococcus and decrease in Bacteroides, Prevotella, Alloprevotella and Phascolarctobacterium compared to healthy controls. There was no significant difference in the microbiome composition of dogs in remission and dogs with active disease, indicating a longer lasting perturbation even beyond clinical recovery.