Pub Date : 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00478-w
Yang Liu, Yinhua Tang, Xiaolong Peng, Yan Hu, Lixin Wen, Qiuzhong Dai, Jun Fang
This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of indigenous dietary fiber (DF) sources with different solubilities on the growth performance, intestinal health, and gut microbiota in meat geese. A total of 400 meat geese at 17-d-old were randomly divided into 4 treatments with 10 replicates per treatment and 10 geese per replicate in a 28-d trial. The dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD), and BD supplemented with wheat bran as high soluble DF source (HS), alfalfa meal as medium soluble DF source (MS), or bamboo meal as low soluble DF source (LS). The results showed that dietary supplements of DF sources improved the growth performance of geese by improving final body weight (P = 0.010) and average daily weight gain (P = 0.003), and decreasing feed to gain ratio (P < 0.001). Among the DF source supplemented groups, HS treatment decreased the feed to gain ratio compared to LS treatment (P = 0.015). Next, HS and MS treatments decreased the levels of uric acid (P = 0.022) and triglyceride (P = 0.003) compared to BD and LS groups, and HS treatment decreased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P = 0.032) in serum compared to BD, LS, and MS groups. Additionally, dietary supplement of DF sources, especially the HS treatment improved the immune function of ileum and cecum by decreasing the levels of interlukin-10 level (P < 0.001) and interlukin-1β (P < 0.001), and increasing the level of secretory immunoglobulin A (P < 0.05) compared to BD, LS, and MS groups. Also DF sources supplements, especially the MS and HS treatments enhanced the antioxidant capacity of ileum and cecum by increasing activities of CAT (P < 0.001), SOD (P = 0.006 in ileum, P < 0.001 in cecum), and T-AOC (P < 0.001), but decreasing the MDA level (P < 0.001) compared to BD and LS groups. Furthermore, the length of ileum in BD group was shorter than DF source supplemented groups. And HS group had the longest ileum length (P = 0.010) and villus height (P = 0.001), and the most goblet cell number (P = 0.013) among all groups. Finally, by comparing the gut microbiota composition among BD, LS, and HS groups, HS treatment induced the enrichments of Butyricicoccus and Gemmiger, which were correlated with the improvements in the growth performance, lipid and fatty acid metabolisms, and intestinal condition. In conclusion, this study indicated that dietary supplementation of DF source, especially the high soluble DF source modulated the gut microbiota, enhanced the growth performance, nutrient metabolism, and intestinal health of meat geese. These findings suggested that highly soluble fiber sources might be preferable to use in geese production.
{"title":"Effects of fiber sources with different solubilities on the growth performance, nutrient metabolism, antioxidant, immune capacity and intestinal health of meat geese.","authors":"Yang Liu, Yinhua Tang, Xiaolong Peng, Yan Hu, Lixin Wen, Qiuzhong Dai, Jun Fang","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00478-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00478-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of indigenous dietary fiber (DF) sources with different solubilities on the growth performance, intestinal health, and gut microbiota in meat geese. A total of 400 meat geese at 17-d-old were randomly divided into 4 treatments with 10 replicates per treatment and 10 geese per replicate in a 28-d trial. The dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD), and BD supplemented with wheat bran as high soluble DF source (HS), alfalfa meal as medium soluble DF source (MS), or bamboo meal as low soluble DF source (LS). The results showed that dietary supplements of DF sources improved the growth performance of geese by improving final body weight (P = 0.010) and average daily weight gain (P = 0.003), and decreasing feed to gain ratio (P < 0.001). Among the DF source supplemented groups, HS treatment decreased the feed to gain ratio compared to LS treatment (P = 0.015). Next, HS and MS treatments decreased the levels of uric acid (P = 0.022) and triglyceride (P = 0.003) compared to BD and LS groups, and HS treatment decreased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P = 0.032) in serum compared to BD, LS, and MS groups. Additionally, dietary supplement of DF sources, especially the HS treatment improved the immune function of ileum and cecum by decreasing the levels of interlukin-10 level (P < 0.001) and interlukin-1β (P < 0.001), and increasing the level of secretory immunoglobulin A (P < 0.05) compared to BD, LS, and MS groups. Also DF sources supplements, especially the MS and HS treatments enhanced the antioxidant capacity of ileum and cecum by increasing activities of CAT (P < 0.001), SOD (P = 0.006 in ileum, P < 0.001 in cecum), and T-AOC (P < 0.001), but decreasing the MDA level (P < 0.001) compared to BD and LS groups. Furthermore, the length of ileum in BD group was shorter than DF source supplemented groups. And HS group had the longest ileum length (P = 0.010) and villus height (P = 0.001), and the most goblet cell number (P = 0.013) among all groups. Finally, by comparing the gut microbiota composition among BD, LS, and HS groups, HS treatment induced the enrichments of Butyricicoccus and Gemmiger, which were correlated with the improvements in the growth performance, lipid and fatty acid metabolisms, and intestinal condition. In conclusion, this study indicated that dietary supplementation of DF source, especially the high soluble DF source modulated the gut microbiota, enhanced the growth performance, nutrient metabolism, and intestinal health of meat geese. These findings suggested that highly soluble fiber sources might be preferable to use in geese production.</p>","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"118"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12607022/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145497597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-05DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00482-0
Cintia Cansado-Utrilla, Miguel A Saldaña, George Golovko, Kamil Khanipov, Riley K Watson, Alexander L Wild, Laura E Brettell, Scott C Weaver, Eva Heinz, Grant L Hughes
{"title":"Mosquito host background impacts microbiome-Zika virus interactions in field- and laboratory-reared Aedes aegypti.","authors":"Cintia Cansado-Utrilla, Miguel A Saldaña, George Golovko, Kamil Khanipov, Riley K Watson, Alexander L Wild, Laura E Brettell, Scott C Weaver, Eva Heinz, Grant L Hughes","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00482-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00482-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"116"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12587736/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145454173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of dietary linarin supplementation on Enterotoxigenic coli (ETEC) induced small intestinal barrier dysfunction in weaned piglets via gut microbiota modulation.
Results: Twenty-four weaned piglets were randomly assigned to four experimental groups. The four treatments were as follows: BD + NB (basal diet and orally administered nutrient broth), LN + NB (basal diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg linarin, and orally administered nutrient broth), BD + ETEC (basal diet and orally administered ETEC), LN + ETEC (basal diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg linarin, and orally administered ETEC). The results showed that linarin lowers the serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), endotoxin, and D-lactate (P < 0.05). Linarin significantly increased villus height and villus/crypt ratio (P < 0.01), while decreasing crypt depth in the duodenum. jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05). Additionally, Linarin increased the number of goblet cells within villus-crypt units in the duodenum. jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05). Linarin significantly enhanced intestinal barrier function, upregulated detoxification pathways, reduced epithelial apoptosis, and improved nutrient transporter expression in the small intestine." Linarin decreased the relative abundances of Actinobacillus, Romboutsia, Enterococcus, and Terrisporobacter, consequently modulating key metabolic pathways, including arginine and proline metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, and cysteine and methionine metabolism.
Conclusions: Dietary linarin supplementation mitigates ETEC-induced intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction and enhances nutrient assimilation via targeted modulation of microbial communities and associated metabolic networks, thereby providing a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of ETEC diarrhea.
{"title":"Linarin alleviates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced small intestinal mucosal barrier damage in a piglet model by modulating the gut microbiota.","authors":"Mingyang Wang, Xiaodan Liu, Xu Ji, Aiyou Wen, Hongyu Wang, Erhui Jin, Feng Zhang","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00446-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00446-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of dietary linarin supplementation on Enterotoxigenic coli (ETEC) induced small intestinal barrier dysfunction in weaned piglets via gut microbiota modulation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-four weaned piglets were randomly assigned to four experimental groups. The four treatments were as follows: BD + NB (basal diet and orally administered nutrient broth), LN + NB (basal diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg linarin, and orally administered nutrient broth), BD + ETEC (basal diet and orally administered ETEC), LN + ETEC (basal diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg linarin, and orally administered ETEC). The results showed that linarin lowers the serum levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), endotoxin, and D-lactate (P < 0.05). Linarin significantly increased villus height and villus/crypt ratio (P < 0.01), while decreasing crypt depth in the duodenum. jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05). Additionally, Linarin increased the number of goblet cells within villus-crypt units in the duodenum. jejunum, and ileum (P < 0.05). Linarin significantly enhanced intestinal barrier function, upregulated detoxification pathways, reduced epithelial apoptosis, and improved nutrient transporter expression in the small intestine.\" Linarin decreased the relative abundances of Actinobacillus, Romboutsia, Enterococcus, and Terrisporobacter, consequently modulating key metabolic pathways, including arginine and proline metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, and cysteine and methionine metabolism.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Dietary linarin supplementation mitigates ETEC-induced intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction and enhances nutrient assimilation via targeted modulation of microbial communities and associated metabolic networks, thereby providing a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of ETEC diarrhea.</p>","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"115"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12573840/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145410913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-29DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00480-2
Sanjit C Debnath, Ashley G Bell, Jamie McMurtrie, Ben Temperton, Charles R Tyler
Background: Tilapia is one of the most popular finfish in aquaculture, but various emerging infectious diseases are limiting the growth of the tilapia aquaculture industry globally. The external mucosal microbiomes of fish act as a first line of defence for maintaining host health. However, how skin and gill microbiomes differ between healthy and naturally infected tilapia remains poorly understood. Here, we employed 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA high-throughput metabarcoding to characterise the microbiome of tilapia skin, gills, and water from ponds reported with diseased and non-diseased conditions, and to investigate signatures of microbial dysbiosis related to health conditions.
Results: Microbial diversity varied significantly across different sample types (gill, skin and pond water) and geographical locations. Skin and gill microbiomes from reported non-diseased conditions differed in the presence of the commensal genus Cetobacterium, while diseased gill-skin were enriched with pathogenic genera including Flavobacterium, Aeromonas, Vibrio, Vogesella, and Klebsiella. Additionally, the relative abundance of diatom Cyclotella in pond water under diseased conditions appeared to be almost double that of non-diseased pond water, albeit this was statistically non-significant. Cetobacterium formed a core component of the bacterial genera in the non-diseased gill and skin microbiome. In contrast, Aeromonas formed a core component of the core microbiome in the diseased gill and skin microbiomes. Analysis of the microbial co-occurrence network in the diseased skin and gill found it to be relatively less complex compared with these tissues in the non-diseased state.
Conclusions: The findings show that the tilapia microbiome differs across the skin and gill tissue surfaces, and from the pond waters in which they are cultured. In reported diseased cases, these microbiomes show enrichment of potential pathogenic genera and less complex microbial co-occurrence networks, which may be used as an indicator of microbial dysbiosis in aquaculture systems. Understanding how these alterations may be used to predict potential disease outbreaks requires an understanding of the functional impacts of the changes in the microbial assemblages, allowing for timely interventions to mitigate the impacts of disease in the aquaculture system.
{"title":"Skin and gill microbiome profiles and network structures in farmed tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and their relationships with health conditions.","authors":"Sanjit C Debnath, Ashley G Bell, Jamie McMurtrie, Ben Temperton, Charles R Tyler","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00480-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00480-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Tilapia is one of the most popular finfish in aquaculture, but various emerging infectious diseases are limiting the growth of the tilapia aquaculture industry globally. The external mucosal microbiomes of fish act as a first line of defence for maintaining host health. However, how skin and gill microbiomes differ between healthy and naturally infected tilapia remains poorly understood. Here, we employed 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA high-throughput metabarcoding to characterise the microbiome of tilapia skin, gills, and water from ponds reported with diseased and non-diseased conditions, and to investigate signatures of microbial dysbiosis related to health conditions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Microbial diversity varied significantly across different sample types (gill, skin and pond water) and geographical locations. Skin and gill microbiomes from reported non-diseased conditions differed in the presence of the commensal genus Cetobacterium, while diseased gill-skin were enriched with pathogenic genera including Flavobacterium, Aeromonas, Vibrio, Vogesella, and Klebsiella. Additionally, the relative abundance of diatom Cyclotella in pond water under diseased conditions appeared to be almost double that of non-diseased pond water, albeit this was statistically non-significant. Cetobacterium formed a core component of the bacterial genera in the non-diseased gill and skin microbiome. In contrast, Aeromonas formed a core component of the core microbiome in the diseased gill and skin microbiomes. Analysis of the microbial co-occurrence network in the diseased skin and gill found it to be relatively less complex compared with these tissues in the non-diseased state.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings show that the tilapia microbiome differs across the skin and gill tissue surfaces, and from the pond waters in which they are cultured. In reported diseased cases, these microbiomes show enrichment of potential pathogenic genera and less complex microbial co-occurrence networks, which may be used as an indicator of microbial dysbiosis in aquaculture systems. Understanding how these alterations may be used to predict potential disease outbreaks requires an understanding of the functional impacts of the changes in the microbial assemblages, allowing for timely interventions to mitigate the impacts of disease in the aquaculture system.</p>","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"113"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12574044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145403070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-27DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00469-x
Alexandru S Barcan, Joseph L Humble, Rares A Barcan, Eve Hughes, Brendan Robertson, Douglas J Morrison, Emanuel Vamanu, Philip McGinnity, Martin S Llewellyn
Background: In aquaculture, several functional mushrooms have been efficiently used as prebiotics, impacting gut microbiota, increasing growth, and delivering antioxidant advantages to a variety of finfish species. However, the potential of Boletus edulis, the 'porcini' or 'penny bun' to influence the gut microbiota of Salmo salar has yet to be studied. Here, we investigated the prebiotic effect of Boletus edulis extract (BEE) on the gut microbiota of farmed Atlantic salmon via an in vitro gut model (SalmoSim).
Results: Notable changes in the production of short-chain fatty acids and microbial diversity were observed upon the addition of BEE. In particular, increased fiber fermentation was suggested by the decreasing concentrations of ammonia and increasing levels of acetate and propionate. Moreover, the 10% BEE improved the absorption of amino acids and increased the digestibility of crude protein, promoting a more diverse microbial community and reducing the accumulation of nitrogenous waste.
Conclusions: The results of the present study revealed that the addition of BEE efficiently altered the gut microbiota, increasing microbial diversity, supporting beneficial short-chain fatty acid synthesis, and improving nutritional absorption in Atlantic salmon.
{"title":"Modulatory effects of Boletus edulis on the gut microbiota in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) utilizing an artificial teleost gut model.","authors":"Alexandru S Barcan, Joseph L Humble, Rares A Barcan, Eve Hughes, Brendan Robertson, Douglas J Morrison, Emanuel Vamanu, Philip McGinnity, Martin S Llewellyn","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00469-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00469-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In aquaculture, several functional mushrooms have been efficiently used as prebiotics, impacting gut microbiota, increasing growth, and delivering antioxidant advantages to a variety of finfish species. However, the potential of Boletus edulis, the 'porcini' or 'penny bun' to influence the gut microbiota of Salmo salar has yet to be studied. Here, we investigated the prebiotic effect of Boletus edulis extract (BEE) on the gut microbiota of farmed Atlantic salmon via an in vitro gut model (SalmoSim).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Notable changes in the production of short-chain fatty acids and microbial diversity were observed upon the addition of BEE. In particular, increased fiber fermentation was suggested by the decreasing concentrations of ammonia and increasing levels of acetate and propionate. Moreover, the 10% BEE improved the absorption of amino acids and increased the digestibility of crude protein, promoting a more diverse microbial community and reducing the accumulation of nitrogenous waste.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results of the present study revealed that the addition of BEE efficiently altered the gut microbiota, increasing microbial diversity, supporting beneficial short-chain fatty acid synthesis, and improving nutritional absorption in Atlantic salmon.</p>","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"111"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12560320/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145379638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-27DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00476-y
Elyse M Barker, Clayton M Small, Susan Bassham, Emily A Beck, Mark C Currey, Hope M Healey, Bernadette D Johnson, William A Cresko, Adam G Jones
{"title":"Signatures and likely sources of the male pregnancy microbiome in wild bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus).","authors":"Elyse M Barker, Clayton M Small, Susan Bassham, Emily A Beck, Mark C Currey, Hope M Healey, Bernadette D Johnson, William A Cresko, Adam G Jones","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00476-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00476-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"112"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12560297/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145379654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00477-x
F Correa, D Luise, G Palladino, J Estellé, S Turroni, D Scicchitano, G Babbi, S Rampelli, M Candela, P L Martelli, C Stefanelli, E Perez-Calvo, Paolo Trevisi
{"title":"Early antimicrobial regimen shapes gut microbiota and health trajectories in pigs: a longitudinal study from weaning to finishing.","authors":"F Correa, D Luise, G Palladino, J Estellé, S Turroni, D Scicchitano, G Babbi, S Rampelli, M Candela, P L Martelli, C Stefanelli, E Perez-Calvo, Paolo Trevisi","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00477-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00477-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"110"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12553191/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145369033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1186/s42523-025-00464-2
Charlotte S C Woolley, Adrian Muwonge, Barend M de C Bronsvoort, Jeffrey J Schoenebeck, Ian G Handel, Katie Chamberlain, Erica Rose, Dylan N Clements
Background: Most research into the development of the canine gut microbiota has featured cross-sectional studies, and there has been limited exploratory research into how it is affected by external factors. We aimed to longitudinally characterise the gut microbiota and its development in Labrador Retriever puppies and identify whether alterations in the gut microbiota are associated with factors related to demography, lifestyle, antibiotic usage and gastrointestinal health.
Results: 76 Labrador Retriever puppies were recruited via Dogslife, a UK-based online cohort study. Faecal samples were collected at three to four, seven, and 12 months of age and analysed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing alongside questionnaire data. Alpha and beta diversity were assessed using linear mixed effects models and permutational multivariate analysis, accounting for repeated measures. Differential abundance was evaluated using multivariable association with linear models. Associations were identified between puppies' gut microbiota and age, sex, coat colour, household smoking status, dietary indiscretions (e.g. household waste, coprophagia), contact with other dogs and horses, recent oral/injected antibiotic use, and recent vomiting and diarrhoea. The greatest source of variation was individual identity, explaining approximately 25% of alpha diversity and 50% of beta diversity. Alpha diversity declined between three and 12 months, with age-related shifts in community composition and dispersion. Coprophagia was associated with increased alpha diversity and contributed to variation in community structure. Antibiotic use was associated with reduced alpha diversity, altered composition, and changes in taxa across Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Tenericutes. These effects were largely transient, with the largest shifts occurring within one week of treatment. Puppies with recent diarrhoea showed increased alpha diversity and differential abundance in several taxa within four weeks of the episode. Helicobacter was more frequently detected in samples from puppies with recent diarrhoea.
Conclusions: This longitudinal study characterises the development of gut microbiota in Labrador Retriever puppies and identifies associations with demographic, environmental, and health-related factors. These findings underscore the value of longitudinal sampling in microbiome research, offer novel insights for owners and veterinarians, and lay a foundation for future studies investigating causal mechanisms and potential interventions.
{"title":"The gut microbiota of Labrador retriever puppies: a longitudinal cohort study.","authors":"Charlotte S C Woolley, Adrian Muwonge, Barend M de C Bronsvoort, Jeffrey J Schoenebeck, Ian G Handel, Katie Chamberlain, Erica Rose, Dylan N Clements","doi":"10.1186/s42523-025-00464-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42523-025-00464-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Most research into the development of the canine gut microbiota has featured cross-sectional studies, and there has been limited exploratory research into how it is affected by external factors. We aimed to longitudinally characterise the gut microbiota and its development in Labrador Retriever puppies and identify whether alterations in the gut microbiota are associated with factors related to demography, lifestyle, antibiotic usage and gastrointestinal health.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>76 Labrador Retriever puppies were recruited via Dogslife, a UK-based online cohort study. Faecal samples were collected at three to four, seven, and 12 months of age and analysed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing alongside questionnaire data. Alpha and beta diversity were assessed using linear mixed effects models and permutational multivariate analysis, accounting for repeated measures. Differential abundance was evaluated using multivariable association with linear models. Associations were identified between puppies' gut microbiota and age, sex, coat colour, household smoking status, dietary indiscretions (e.g. household waste, coprophagia), contact with other dogs and horses, recent oral/injected antibiotic use, and recent vomiting and diarrhoea. The greatest source of variation was individual identity, explaining approximately 25% of alpha diversity and 50% of beta diversity. Alpha diversity declined between three and 12 months, with age-related shifts in community composition and dispersion. Coprophagia was associated with increased alpha diversity and contributed to variation in community structure. Antibiotic use was associated with reduced alpha diversity, altered composition, and changes in taxa across Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Tenericutes. These effects were largely transient, with the largest shifts occurring within one week of treatment. Puppies with recent diarrhoea showed increased alpha diversity and differential abundance in several taxa within four weeks of the episode. Helicobacter was more frequently detected in samples from puppies with recent diarrhoea.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This longitudinal study characterises the development of gut microbiota in Labrador Retriever puppies and identifies associations with demographic, environmental, and health-related factors. These findings underscore the value of longitudinal sampling in microbiome research, offer novel insights for owners and veterinarians, and lay a foundation for future studies investigating causal mechanisms and potential interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72201,"journal":{"name":"Animal microbiome","volume":"7 1","pages":"108"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12534972/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145314344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}