Dietary Features Are Associated with Differences in the Urinary Microbiome in Clinically Healthy Adult Dogs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Microbiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• The gut microbiome is influenced by nutrition, but the urinary microbiome's (urobiome) response to diet is largely unknown.
• Understanding the urobiome is crucial for canine health, as it may reflect systemic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of nutritional factors on the diversity and composition of the canine urobiome.
• To explore associations between specific nutrients, commercial diet brands, and dietary diversity with urobiome characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study involving 15 healthy adult dogs with detailed dietary histories.
• Urine sample collection via cystocentesis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
• Statistical analysis to correlate dietary components with urobiome diversity (alpha and beta).

Main Results:

• No significant effect of protein, fat, or crude fiber content on urobiome alpha or beta diversity.
• Significant differences in urobiome beta diversity were observed between dogs fed different commercial diet brands (PERMANOVA; p=0.017).
• Dietary diversity also impacted urobiome beta diversity, with more diverse diets showing distinct profiles (p=0.019).

Conclusions:

• Dietary brand and the diversity of food sources appear to influence the canine urobiome.
• This pilot study highlights the potential role of diet in shaping the urobiome, warranting further investigation.
• Future research should focus on elucidating the specific dietary components and mechanisms affecting the canine urobiome.