title: The Association of Specific Constituents of the Fecal Microbiota with Immune-Mediated Brain Disease in Dogs.
abstract: Meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin (MUO) is a common, naturally-occurring, clinical disease of pet dogs. It is an immune-mediated condition that has many similarities with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) in rodents and so investigation of its pathogenesis may aid in understanding factors that contribute to development of multiple sclerosis in people. Gut microbiota are known to modulate immune responses that influence susceptibility to immune-mediated brain disease. In this study we aimed to compare abundance of specific constituents of the fecal microbiota, namely Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Prevotellaceae, between dogs diagnosed with MUO and matched controls. Fecal samples were obtained from 20 dogs diagnosed with MUO and 20 control dogs matched for breed, age and gender. Bacterial abundance was measured using qPCR and 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that Prevotellaceae were significantly less abundant in cases compared with controls (p = 0.003) but there was no difference in abundance of F.prausnitzii. There was no evidence of other differences in gut microbiota between groups. These data, derived from this naturally-occurring canine clinical model, provide strong corroborative evidence that high abundance of Prevotellaceae in the gut is associated with reduced risk for developing immune-mediated brain disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United State of America.
authors.forename: Nick D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Jeffery
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United State of America.
authors.forename: Andrew K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United State of America.
authors.forename: Cody J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Alcott
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United State of America.
authors.forename: Jon M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United State of America.
authors.forename: Ilyssa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Meren
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United State of America.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wengert
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United State of America.
authors.forename: Albert E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Jergens
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United State of America.
authors.forename: Jan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Suchodolski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D000070037:Faecalibacterium prausnitzii / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S