Evaluation of selected faecal bacterial groups in dogs suffering from cardiovascular diseases

Gastrointestinal dysbiosis has been associated to different diseases of the GI tract (in both man and animals), but also to pathological conditions related to other organs and apparatuses [1-3]. The aim of the present study is to move a first step toward the study of faecal microbiota (selected faecal bacterial groups) in dogs presenting cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), to determine whether, similarly to human and laboratory animal medicine [4,5], interesting correlations could be found. Seven naturally voided faecal samples from 7 dogs suffering from CVD (6 valvulopathies and 1 dilated cardiomyopathy), but without gastrointestinal signs, were collected. Bacterial DNA for the study of selected faecal bacterial groups (Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Enterobacteriaceae, Clostridium coccoides- Eubacterium rectale group, Staphylococcus spp., and Bacteroides-Prevotella-Porphyromonas spp.) was extracted using a modified DNA extraction method based on benzyl chloride. SYBR Green Real-Time PCR amplification were performed. For each bacterial group, the total bacterial concentration was determined using 16S rRNA gene targeted primers [6]. Our evaluation was successful in 5 out of 7 dogs, but due to the low number of patients (inclusion/exclusion criteria were very selective) it was not possible to compare statistically subgroups in our sample. However, Student’s t test was applied to compare the mean values of bacterial concentration of each detected group in patients of the present study with those previously obtained from healthy subjects (unpublished data). Bacteroides-Prevotella- Porphyromonas spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. counts resulted significantly lower (p<0.05) in the CVD dogs than in the healthy subjects, while Lactobacillus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae counts were significantly higher (p<0.05). Data from our pilot study, even if very preliminary, suggest that the evaluation of faecal composition in dogs suffering from cardiovascular diseases is possible and may provide interesting insights in cardiovascular diseases’ pathogenesis, prevention and treatment.