An Ecological Framework for Interpreting the Canine Gut Microbiome.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Microbiome Research
• Canine Health

Background:

• The canine intestinal microbiome is crucial for gastrointestinal health, but its interpretation is challenging.
• Current methods often rely on limited ecological targets or costly shotgun metagenomics.
• A need exists for accessible, integrative approaches to analyze canine microbiome data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrative interpretation framework for canine gut microbiome analysis.
• To combine fecal calprotectin and 16S rRNA gene sequencing for a multidimensional assessment.
• To evaluate biological inflammation, microbiological inflammatory pressure (MIS), and microbiome resilience (MRS) in dogs.

Main Methods:

• Integrated fecal calprotectin and 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from privately owned dogs.
• Calculated Microbiological Inflammatory Score (MIS) and Microbiome Resilience Score (MRS).
• Employed alpha diversity, beta diversity, taxonomic weighting, and distance to a reference microbiome core.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations were found between microbiome resilience, microbial diversity, and dysbiosis metrics.
• Microbiome resilience correlated highly with Shannon diversity (ρ = 0.98, p < 0.001).
• A continuum from stable to inflammatory dysbiosis was observed, with distinct clusters of canine microbiomes.

Conclusions:

• A multidimensional framework integrating inflammation, dysbiosis, and resilience improves canine microbiome interpretation.
• The framework provides complementary ecological dimensions for a comprehensive understanding of gut health.
• This approach offers valuable insights for routine veterinary diagnostics and research.