Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bacterial microbiota and proinflammatory cytokines in the anal sacs of treated and untreated atopic dogs: Comparison with a healthy control group.
- Journal:
- PloS one
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- C Bergeron, Camylle et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · Canada
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at the bacteria and inflammatory substances in the anal sacs of dogs to understand why atopic dogs (those with allergies) are more likely to develop anal sac problems. Researchers compared three groups: healthy dogs, untreated atopic dogs, and atopic dogs receiving treatment for their allergies. They found that the bacteria in the anal sacs of untreated atopic dogs were quite different from those in healthy dogs, but the treated atopic dogs had bacteria more similar to healthy dogs. Additionally, one inflammatory substance was higher in untreated atopic dogs compared to treated ones, suggesting that treatment helps improve the condition. Overall, the treatments used for atopic dogs seem to help restore the bacterial balance in their anal sacs, which may reduce their risk of developing anal sac issues.
Abstract
The pathogenesis of anal sacculitis has not been extensively investigated, although atopic dogs seem to be predisposed to the disease. The aim of this study was therefore to characterize and compare the bacterial microbiota and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the anal sacs of dogs from three groups (healthy dogs, untreated atopic dogs and atopic dogs receiving antipruritic treatment or allergen-specific immunotherapy) in order to determine whether changes could be at the origin of anal sacculitis in atopic dogs. Bacterial populations of anal sac secretions from fifteen healthy dogs, fourteen untreated and six treated atopic dogs were characterized by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene using Illumina technology. Proinflammatory cytokines were analyzed with the Luminex multiplex test. Community membership and structure were significantly different between the anal sacs of healthy and untreated atopic dogs (P = 0.002 and P = 0.003, respectively) and between those of untreated and treated atopic dogs (P = 0.012 and P = 0.017, respectively). However, the community structure was similar in healthy and treated atopic dogs (P = 0.332). Among the proinflammatory cytokines assessed, there was no significant difference between groups, except for interleukin 8 which was higher in the anal sacs of untreated atopic dogs compared to treated atopic dogs (P = 0.02), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha which was lower in the anal sacs of healthy dogs compared to treated atopic dogs (P = 0.04). These results reveal a dysbiosis in the anal sacs of atopic dogs, which may partially explain the predisposition of atopic dogs to develop bacterial anal sacculitis. Treatments received by atopic dogs (oclacitinib, desloratadine and allergen-specific immunotherapy) shift the microbiota of the anal sacs towards that of healthy dogs. Further studies are required to identify significant cytokines contributing to anal sacculitis in atopic dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38814946/