The subgingival microbial community of feline periodontitis and gingivostomatitis: characterization and comparison between diseased and healthy cats

Marjory Xavier Rodrigues,Rodrigo Carvalho Bicalho,Svetlana Ferreira Lima,Santiago Peralta,Nadine Fiani

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48852-4

Marjory Xavier Rodrigues, Rodrigo Carvalho Bicalho + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48852-4

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Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Aug 26, 2019
Citations: 31	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Cornell University

Abstract

Periodontitis is a common and important health problem in domestic cats. The subgingival microbiota of cats diagnosed with chronic periodontitis (CP), aggressive periodontitis (AP), and feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) are not well characterized. Thus, the aim of the present study was to characterize and compare the periodontal microbiota of periodontally healthy cats versus cats diagnosed with CP, AP, and FCGS by using next-generation sequencing. In total, 44 domestic cats were enrolled, and 139 subgingival samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the microbiota composition of each periodontal group evaluated. Our results identified several key genera previously described in periodontal disease (e.g. Treponema and Filifactor) and in the oral microbiota (e.g. Moraxella and Capnocytophaga) of healthy cats. Phylogenetic beta diversity analysis showed that the microbiota of periodontally healthy cats were distinguishable from diseased cats. Even though most of the genera known to be associated with periodontal disease were also identified in healthy cats, they were present at significantly lower relative abundance. Remarkably, alpha diversity was found to be higher in the disease groups compared to healthy animals. These results suggest a pathological mechanism involving opportunistic behavior. Our findings corroborate those in the current literature regarding the complexity of the subgingival microbiota of the domestic cat and reveal both differences and similarities among periodontally healthy and diseased cats.

Highlights

Periodontitis can be classified as chronic or aggressive[1,3,7,8]
Techniques based on DNA sequencing and advanced bioinformatics tools can help unravel the complexity of the subgingival microbiota in periodontal health and disease[10,18]
Comparisons of the feline subgingival microbiota among healthy, gingivitis, and mild periodontitis cases were recently described based on pyrosequencing[6]

Summary

Introduction

Periodontitis can be classified as chronic or aggressive[1,3,7,8]. Chronic periodontitis (CP) is the most common form and is characterized by slow progression[1]; the prevalence of CP increases with age[2]. The supposed association of AP with an increased load of specific periodontal bacteria underscores the importance of bacteria to the disease process, and the importance of microbiologic tests[10] Another important disease is feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), which causes severe pain and distress and is characterized by focal or diffuse chronic inflammation of the gingiva and oral mucosa[11]. Cats with FCGS have been shown to develop more severe and extensive forms of periodontitis compared to cats without the disease[17] It is unknown whether the latter is due to underlying differences in the subgingival microbiome compared to cats without FGCS. In order to better understand the possible role of the subgingival microbiota in periodontal health and disease in cats, we have applied next-generation sequencing techniques to assess and compare the periodontal microbiota from healthy cats and cats with CP, AP, and FCGS

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