6 Oct 2023
Researchers at Oregon State University say their analysis could herald a major step forward in treating canine inflammatory bowel disease.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Gut bacteria found in wild wolves may offer a solution for a chronic condition in domestic dogs, according to a new American study.
Scientists at the Oregon State University (OSU) say they have found a novel strain of Paenibacillus bacteria that shows signs of acting as a probiotic in its host.
They believe their findings could be a major step forward in tackling canine inflammatory bowel disease (cIBD), which currently has few treatment options.
Bruce Seal, one of the project’s leaders, said: “Underlying causes of the condition include an animal’s genetics, environmental factors, the immunological state of the GI tract and, maybe most importantly, an altered gut microbiome.”
The study, which has been published in the journal Applied Microbiology, examined gastrointestinal material collected from a grey wolf that had died from injuries sustained in a collision with a car.
A total of 20 different gut bacteria, which preliminary analysis suggested may have probiotic qualities, were subsequently isolated.
A draft whole genome sequencing of the Paenibacillus strain found it was both capable of digesting complex carbohydrates of the kind found in many modern canine diets and generating an antimicrobial response.
Dr Seal said: “Non-toxic, spore-forming bacteria promote anti-inflammatory immune responses in the gut and inhibit pathogen growth.
“Taking everything into account, this bacterial isolate could be a potential useful probiotic for domestic dogs.”
The research team, based at OSU’s Cascades campus and the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, now plans to perform sequencing on other bacterial species found in the samples from the wolf in the hope that could aid the development of an additive that would help alter a dog’s gut microbiome to address cIBD.
Dr Seal said: “Dogs were the first domesticated animal.
“The modern dog diet, high in carbohydrates, does not reflect a wolf’s diet – for example, starches in processed dog food are resistant to digestion, and that can have a negative impact on the microbial community in a dog’s GI tract and in turn its gastric physiology.”
