Abstract
BackgroundThe individual, together with its environment, has been reported as the main force driving composition and structure of skin microbiota in healthy dogs. Therefore, one of the major concerns when analyzing canine skin microbiota is the likely influence of the environment. Despite the dense fur covering, certain skin diseases exhibit differential prevalence among skin sites, dog breeds, and individuals.ResultsWe have characterized the normal variability of dog skin microbiota in a well-controlled cohort of a large number of Golden-Labrador Retriever crossed dogs (N = 35) with similar ages, related genetic background, and a shared environment. We found that the individual drives the skin microbiota composition and structure followed by the skin site. The main bacterial classes inhabiting dog skin in this cohort are Gammaproteobacteria and Bacilli. We also detected bacteria associated to the environment on different dog skin sites that could be reflecting the different degrees of exposure of each skin site and each dog. Network analyses elucidated bacterial interactions within and between skin sites, especially in the chin, abdomen, axilla, and perianal region, with the highly shared interactions probably representing an anatomical, behavioral, or environmental component. When analyzing each skin site independently to assess host-specific factors, we found that temporality (season of birth and time spent in the kennel) affected all the skin sites and specially the inner pinna. The most abundant taxon driving this difference was Sphingomonas. We also found taxonomic differences among male and female dogs on the abdomen, axilla, and back.ConclusionsWe observed a large inter-individual variability and differences among skin sites. Host-specific variables, such as temporality or sex, were also shaping skin microbiota of healthy dogs, even in an environmental homogenous cohort.
Highlights
The individual, together with its environment, has been reported as the main force driving composition and structure of skin microbiota in healthy dogs
We analyzed the variability of the canine skin microbiota in eight different skin sites from a healthy homogenous and well-controlled cohort of Golden-Labrador Retriever crossbred dogs cohabiting together in the same kennel in the USA (N = 35)
Individual and skin sites: taxonomy and diversity analysis We found a total of 2216 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) living on dog skin (Additional file 3) that were taxonomically classified into 17 phyla, 41 classes, 62 orders, 128 families, and 242 genera
Summary
The individual, together with its environment, has been reported as the main force driving composition and structure of skin microbiota in healthy dogs. Despite the dense fur covering, certain skin diseases exhibit differential prevalence among skin sites, dog breeds, and individuals. Skin is a complex ecosystem inhabited by a high diversity of microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiota. These microbial communities inhabit, and interact with the host cells impacting cellular function and immunity; likewise, the host immunity can influence the microbiota composition. This cross-talk between the host cells and the microorganisms maintains the homeostasis and the healthy status of. Results from Rodrigues-Hoffmann and colleagues showed that haired skin regions presented higher diversity values than mucosal areas and mucocutaneous junctions [7], and a similar result was
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