The gut microbiome correlates with conspecific aggression in a small population of rescued dogs (Canis familiaris)

Abstract

Aggression is a serious behavioral disorder in domestic dogs that endangers both dogs and humans. The underlying causes of canine aggression are poorly resolved and require illumination to ensure effective therapy. Recent research links the compositional diversity of the gut microbiome to behavioral and psychological regulation in other mammals, such as mice and humans. Given these observations, we hypothesized that the composition of the canine gut microbiome could associate with aggression. We analyzed fecal microbiome samples collected from a small population of pit bull type dogs seized from a dogfighting organization. This population included twenty-one dogs that displayed conspecific aggressive behaviors and ten that did not. Beta-diversity analyses support an association between gut microbiome structure and dog aggression. Additionally, we used a phylogenetic approach to resolve specific clades of gut bacteria that stratify aggressive and non-aggressive dogs, including clades within Lactobacillus, Dorea, Blautia, Turicibacter, and Bacteroides. Several of these taxa have been implicated in modulating mammalian behavior as well as gastrointestinal disease states. Although sample size limits this study, our findings indicate that gut microorganisms are linked to dog aggression and point to an aggression-associated physiological state that interacts with the gut microbiome. These results also indicate that the gut microbiome may be useful for diagnosing aggressive behaviors prior to their manifestation and potentially discerning cryptic etiologies of aggression.

Gut microbiome modulates Drosophila aggression through octopamine signaling

“…Future studies identifying commensal bacteria that positively or negatively modulate aggression would deepen our understanding and have potential implications utilizing commensal bacteria to modulate aggressive behaviors. Recently, it was reported that the microbiome correlated with conspecific aggression in a small population of dogs 58 , highlighting that the microbiome may be useful for diagnosing aggressive behaviors prior to their manifestation and potentially discerning cryptic etiologies of aggression. Third, that microbiome synergizes with diet to promote aggressive but not other innate behaviors in our study is intriguing, especially given that Drosophila in the wild may be challenged with scare, dynamic, and highly diverse diets.…”

Gut microbiome structure and adrenocortical activity in dogs with aggressive and phobic behavioral disorders

“…Aggressive, anxiety and phobia behavioral disorders can be considered as stress responses with an increase in glucocorticoid (GC) secretion mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis [20,21]. Although recent works on canine microbiome have investigated potential interactions with aggression, these studies have focused on the variations of their GM profile after targeted dietary interventions to reduce aggressive behaviors [22,23]. To the best of our knowledge, no study has focused on the comparison of the GM structure between dogs exhibiting aggressive, phobic and normal behavior, with specific associations with adrenocortical activity.…”