Individual Signatures Define Canine Skin Microbiota Composition and Variability.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Dermatology
• Microbiology
• Animal Science

Background:

• Canine skin harbors a complex microbiota, though disorders often affect specific sites and breeds.
• Understanding the normal skin microbiome is crucial for diagnosing and treating skin conditions in dogs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the composition and variability of the skin microbiota in healthy dogs.
• To evaluate the influence of breed, skin site, and individual dogs on skin microbiota.

Main Methods:

• Massive sequencing of 16S rRNA gene V1-V2 hypervariable regions was performed.
• Eight distinct skin sites were analyzed from nine healthy dogs across three breeds.

Main Results:

• The dominant phyla in canine skin microbiota include Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes.
• Individual dogs exhibited unique skin microbiota patterns, with some showing balanced phyla and others dominated by a single phylum.
• The individual dog was the primary driver of microbiota composition (45%), followed by skin site (19%), and breed (9%).

Conclusions:

• Canine skin microbiota composition is predominantly individual-specific, outweighing breed and skin site influences.
• Significant dissimilarity exists among individual dogs' microbiomes, largely due to low-abundant species.
• While individual variation is key, skin site impacts diversity, with the inner pinna being most diverse and the perianal region least diverse and most distinct.