Media release

From: The Royal Society

Distinct healthy and atopic canine gut microbiota is influenced by diet and antibiotics

Summary: The rising trend in non-communicable chronic inflammatory diseases coincides with changes in western lifestyle, both in humans and their pet dogs. We studied the influence of lifestyle—diet, antibiotic use, and residential environment with housing and family—on the gut microbiota of healthy and atopic pet dogs, searching for relationships between the lifestyle factors, atopy and microbiota. We found that atopic and healthy dogs had different gut microbiota and that diet affected microbiota composition. Diet and atopy were not, however, associated. Instead, the atopy was associated with the usage of antibiotics, which also affected the microbiota composition.

Mutt guts – Can the gut bacteria of pets help us understand how western lifestyles may affect our health? Researchers assessed the influence of lifestyle on the gut microbiota of healthy dogs and those with owner-reported allergies (atopy). While atopy wasn’t clearly linked with diet, it was associated with the usage of antibiotics, ‘which also affected the microbiota composition’, the authors said. This suggests pet dogs may be a promising model for understanding human allergies.