4 Nutrition and gut microbial ecology in companion animals

Abstract

Abstract The gut microbiome, considered an organ harboring trillions of microbes, is a complex and diverse ecosystem through its collective metabolic activities and host interactions that influences host physiology and disease susceptibilities. The advancement from traditional culturable techniques to next generation sequencing technologies allows nutritionists and clinicians to enhance the understanding of microbiomes and their beneficial role in the host-microbe ecosystem. Compared with the research and resource developments in the human microbiome space, the gut microbiome of companion animals is relatively underexplored despite its relevance to animal and pet owner health. More than a decade ago, Hill’s Pet Nutrition developed deep microbiome expertise to improve the overall health and wellbeing for dogs and cats through nutrition. This presentation will focus on two aspects: how Hill’s harnesses the gut microbiome through nutrition to benefit the health of the pet, and the efforts underway to build the “One Health Microbiome Resource (OHMR).” The OHMR resource is a reference database encompassing both human and companion animal metagenomes that will improve the understanding of how microbiomes overlap in shaping the health of pets and pet owners in the context of infectious diseases, immune modulation, and specific genetic elements such as antibiotic resistance genes.