Keynote Message

Various studies have shown that the intestinal microbiota is altered in dogs and cats with intestinal disease. This highlights the need for modulating the microbiota as part of therapy of intestinal diseases. New genomic and metabolomic approaches have characterized the functional changes that occur in gut dysbiosis and may allow a more defined approach to therapy. Recent studies have shown that indiscriminate antibiotic administration may amplify dysbiosis, even in dogs that undergo clinical remission. While probiotics have shown clinical benefits in a subset of patients, they typically do not improve dysbiosis. Fecal microbiota transplantation may lead to normalization of gut dysbiosis, the duration of this effect depends on the underlying disease process. Larger studies are needed to elucidate which patients may benefit most from this therapeutic strategy. This talk will summarize the current knowledge and challenges associated with the approaches to modulate the intestinal microbiota.

Key References

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2.  Suchodolski JS. Diagnosis and interpretation of intestinal dysbiosis in dogs and cats. The Veterinary Journal. 2016;215:30–7. DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.04.011.

3.  Vazquez-Baeza Y, Hyde ER, Suchodolski JS, Knight R. Dog and human inflammatory bowel disease rely on overlapping yet distinct dysbiosis networks. Nature Microbiology. 2016;1:16177. DOI: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.177.

4.  Chaitman J, Jergens AE, Gaschen F, et al. Commentary on key aspects of fecal microbiota transplantation in small animal practice. Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports. 2016;7:71–74. DOI: doi.org/10.2147/VMRR.S105238.