Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Characterization of the fecal microbiome in cats with inflammatory bowel disease or alimentary small cell lymphoma.
- Journal:
- Scientific reports
- Year:
- 2019
- Authors:
- Marsilio, Sina et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Science · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This study looked at the gut bacteria in cats with chronic gastrointestinal issues, specifically those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and small cell lymphoma (SCL). Researchers compared the gut bacteria of 27 affected cats to 38 healthy cats and found that the cats with these conditions had less variety in their gut bacteria. Certain types of bacteria that are usually present in healthy cats were found in lower amounts in the sick cats, while some other types were more common. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the gut bacteria between cats with IBD and those with SCL. Overall, the findings suggest that cats with these gastrointestinal issues have an imbalance in their gut bacteria, similar to what is seen in people with IBD.
Abstract
Feline chronic enteropathy (CE) is a common gastrointestinal disorder in cats and mainly comprises inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and small cell lymphoma (SCL). Both IBD and SCL in cats share features with chronic enteropathies such as IBD and monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma in humans. The aim of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiome of 38 healthy cats and 27 cats with CE (13 cats with IBD and 14 cats with SCL). Alpha diversity indices were significantly decreased in cats with CE (OTU p = 0.003, Shannon Index p = 0.008, Phylogenetic Diversity p = 0.019). ANOSIM showed a significant difference in bacterial communities, albeit with a small effect size (P = 0.023, R = 0.073). Univariate analysis and LEfSE showed a lower abundance of facultative anaerobic taxa of the phyla Firmicutes (families Ruminococcaceae and Turicibacteraceae), Actinobacteria (genus Bifidobacterium) and Bacteroidetes (i.a. Bacteroides plebeius) in cats with CE. The facultative anaerobic taxa Enterobacteriaceae and Streptococcaceae were increased in cats with CE. No significant difference between the microbiome of cats with IBD and those with SCL was found. Cats with CE showed patterns of dysbiosis similar to those in found people with IBD.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31844119/