Abstract
Laboratory animal science associations recommend the usage of specific pathogen-free (SPF) animals in experiments to achieve appropriate results. However, their non-natural microbiome might represent an obstacle in the successful translation of obtained results into clinical practice, since the microbiome contributes to the regulation of the host’s physiology. Inconsistent results, even in repeated experiments in separate animal groups, irrespective of the season or sex led us to assess the cough response of SPF animal variables and compare it to wild-type animals. The dose-response curves in citric acid and capsaicin cough challenge construction shows significantly increased cough threshold in SPF animals compared to wild-type animals of both sexes. The cause of cough response alteration in SPF animals is not presently known and thus their usage in basic cough research remains questionable. The relationship between airway reflexes and the airway microbiome has never been studied hence we propose that it might be microbiome-related.
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