Keynote Message

Intestinal microbiota (bacteria, fungi, archaea, protozoa, and viruses) are of fundamental importance in maintaining gut homeostasis. Various studies have reported changes in microbial communities in acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases, which result in functional and immunological consequences for the host. The depletion of commensal groups and their respective immunoregulatory metabolites (e.g., indoles, and secondary bile acids) may impair the ability of the host to downregulate the aberrant intestinal immune response, making dysbiosis an integral part of the pathogenesis of GI disease. Better characterization of dysbiosis and functional consequences may guide treatment decisions (e.g., antimicrobials vs. dietary modulation, use of probiotics, and/or immunosuppression). This talk will summarize recent work using wide screen microbiome and metabolome analysis to better define the differences in the pathophysiology of various acute and chronic GI disorders.

Key References

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2.  Guard BC, Suchodolski JS. Canine intestinal microbiology and metagenomics: from phylogeny to function. Journal of Animal Science. 2016;94:2247–2261. DOI: 10.2527/jas2015-0029.

3.  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.

4.  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.