Case Report: Inflammation-Driven Species-Level Shifts in the Oral Microbiome of Refractory Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis

Abstract

The cat oral microbiome plays an important role in maintaining host health, yet little is known about how to apply microbial data in a clinical setting. One such use of microbiome signatures is in cases of feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), a severe debilitating complex disease of the oral cavity. FCGS-afflicted cats have limited treatment options, and individual patient responses to treatment are needed. In this work, we used deep sequencing of total RNA of the oral microbiome to chronicle microbial changes that accompanied an FCGS-afflicted cat’s change from treatment-non-responsive to treatment-responsive within a 17-month span. The oral microbiome composition of the two treatment-non-responsive time points differed from that of the treatment-responsive point, with notable shifts in the abundance of <i>Myscoplasmopsis</i>, <i>Aspergillus</i>, and <i>Capnocytophaga</i> species. Intriguingly, the presence of the fungal groups <i>Aspergillus</i> and <i>Candida</i> primarily differentiated the two non-responsive microbiomes. Associated with responder status were multiple <i>Capnocytophaga</i> species, including <i>Capnocytophaga</i> sp. H2931, <i>Capnocytophaga gingivalis</i>, and <i>Capnocytophaga canimorsus</i>. The observation that the oral microbiome shifts in tandem by response to treatment in FCGS suggests a potential use for microbiome evaluations in a clinical setting. This work contributes to developing improved molecular diagnostics for enhanced efficacy of individualized treatment plans to improve oral disease.