The Effects of Nutrition on the Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Cats and Dogs: Impact on Health and Disease.

Susan M Wernimont,Jan S Suchodolski,Dennis E Jewell,Jennifer M Macleay,Eden Ephraim,Jennifer Radosevich,Dayakar V Badri,Matthew I Jackson

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.01266

Susan M Wernimont, Jan S Suchodolski + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01266

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Abstract

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome of cats and dogs is increasingly recognized as a metabolically active organ inextricably linked to pet health. Food serves as a substrate for the GI microbiome of cats and dogs and plays a significant role in defining the composition and metabolism of the GI microbiome. The microbiome, in turn, facilitates the host’s nutrient digestion and the production of postbiotics, which are bacterially derived compounds that can influence pet health. Consequently, pet owners have a role in shaping the microbiome of cats and dogs through the food they choose to provide. Yet, a clear understanding of the impact these food choices have on the microbiome, and thus on the overall health of the pet, is lacking. Pet foods are formulated to contain the typical nutritional building blocks of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, but increasingly include microbiome-targeted ingredients, such as prebiotics and probiotics. Each of these categories, as well as their relative proportions in food, can affect the composition and/or function of the microbiome. Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary components may impact not only GI disease, but also allergies, oral health, weight management, diabetes, and kidney disease through changes in the GI microbiome. Until recently, the focus of microbiome research was to characterize alterations in microbiome composition in disease states, while less research effort has been devoted to understanding how changes in nutrition can influence pet health by modifying the microbiome function. This review summarizes the impact of pet food nutritional components on the composition and function of the microbiome and examines evidence for the role of nutrition in impacting host health through the microbiome in a variety of disease states. Understanding how nutrition can modulate GI microbiome composition and function may reveal new avenues for enhancing the health and resilience of cats and dogs.

Highlights

The word “microbiome” has been traditionally defined as “the aggregate genetic material of all microorganisms living in, or on, a defined habitat” (Lederberg and McCray, 2001; The NIH HMP Working Group, 2009)
Another study reported no significant difference in measures of alpha diversity between dogs fed Raw meat-based diets (RMBD) and commercial foods, but found a significant difference in beta diversity between groups; this may have been due in part to the different macronutrient compositions of the two types of foods, with significantly higher protein and fat and lower carbohydrate and fiber content in the RMBDs compared to the commercial foods (Schmidt et al, 2018)
The GI microbiome is recognized as a metabolic organ that plays a critical role in numerous processes essential to the health and fitness of the host

Summary

Introduction

The word “microbiome” has been traditionally defined as “the aggregate genetic material of all microorganisms living in, or on, a defined habitat” (Lederberg and McCray, 2001; The NIH HMP Working Group, 2009). Development of the microbiome begins before birth (Stinson et al, 2019) and the microbiome influences many aspects of host health, including physiology, anatomy, behavior, reproduction, and fitness (Bordenstein and Theis, 2015; Thomas et al, 2017). The microbiota release nutrients and metabolites into the body, influencing immune cells and inflammatory functions (Tizard and Jones, 2017). Evidence suggests that the GI microbiome influences the development and regulation of major host systems, including the nervous, renal, digestive, dermal, endocrine, immune, and respiratory systems (Evenepoel et al, 2017; Tizard and Jones, 2017; Makki et al, 2018). Commensal bacteria play a key role in the function of the host immune system, which is essential for the development of the physiologic structure of the gut (Mondo et al, 2019)

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