Open AccessCharacterization of the fecal microbiome during neonatal and early pediatric development in puppies
Author(s) -
Blake C. Guard,
Hanna Mila,
Jörg M. Steiner,
Claire Mariani,
Jan S. Suchodolski,
Sylvie Chastant-Maillard
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0175718
Subject(s) - fusobacteria , feces , firmicutes , biology , microbiome , pyrosequencing , puppy , bacteroidetes , physiology , veterinary medicine , zoology , 16s ribosomal rna , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , medicine , genetics , bacteria , gene
Limited information is available describing the development of the neonatal fecal microbiome in dogs. Feces from puppies were collected at 2, 21, 42, and 56 days after birth. Feces were also collected from the puppies’ mothers at a single time point within 24 hours after parturition. DNA was extracted from fecal samples and 454-pyrosequencing was used to profile 16S rRNA genes. Species richness continued to increase significantly from 2 days of age until 42 days of age in puppies. Furthermore, microbial communities clustered separately from each other at 2, 21, and 42 days of age. The microbial communities belonging to dams clustered separately from that of puppies at any given time point. Major phylogenetic changes were noted at all taxonomic levels with the most profound changes being a shift from primarily Firmicutes in puppies at 2 days of age to a co-dominance of Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Firmicutes by 21 days of age. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between puppy microbiota development, physiological growth, neonatal survival, and morbidity.