Abstract
The increasing incidence of gastrointestinal tract pathologies in dogs and the worrisome topic of antibiotic resistance have raised the need to look for new therapeutic frontiers. Of these, the use of probiotics represents a potential therapeutic alternative. Lactobacillus kefiri (Lk) is a species of Lactobacillus isolated from kefir. Previous studies have demonstrated that its administration in mice downregulates the expression of proinflammatory mediators and increases anti-inflammatory molecules in the gut immune system. It also regulates intestinal homeostasis, incrementing immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion. Since Lk has never been studied as a single probiotic in dogs, the aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of Lk in dogs, and its effect on IgA secretion and on intestinal microbiota composition. Ten healthy dogs without a history of gastrointestinal diseases were included. The dogs received Lk at a dose of 107 live microorganisms orally, once daily for 30 days. The fecal samples were tested before administration, in the middle, at the end, and 30 days after discontinuation. The IgA secretion concentration and the microbiota composition were evaluated on the fecal samples. The results in this study suggested that Lk did not influence the concentration of IgA, nor significant changes of the intestinal microbiota were observed during and after the treatment. Therefore, additional studies are needed to investigate if a higher daily dosage of Lk can influence the intestinal homeostasis of dogs.
Highlights
In recent years, intestinal microbiota has become increasingly relevant for veterinary scientists and has been studied for its role on the welfare of the host [1]
Several potential probiotics have already been tested in dogs, including bacterial species belonging to the genera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces, demonstrating their role in the treatment of acute and chronic enteropathies [15,16,17,18, 38,39,40]
The achieved results are difficult to compare as different dosages (107 colony-forming units (CFUs)/daily dose; 109 CFU/daily dose; 3 to 3.6 × 109 CFU/daily dose) and different forms of application were used, and the duration of administration was variable [15, 17, 18]
Summary
Intestinal microbiota has become increasingly relevant for veterinary scientists and has been studied for its role on the welfare of the host [1] It is an ecosystem including mainly bacteria, and archaea, fungi, protozoa, and viruses, which plays several roles in the host physiology by means of a range of metabolic and immunological interactions. This complex ecosystem helps in the digestion of food by assisting the absorption and metabolism of nutrients, and has trophic and protective functions [2]. Canine chronic enteropathies, categorized into four classes (food responsive; antibiotic responsive; immunosuppressant responsive; nonresponsive enteropathy) according to the response to treatment, are multifactorial diseases where host genetic factors, the immune system, and indigenous intestinal bacteria are supposed to be engaged in intricate interactions [6, 7]
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