Microbes could be potential targets for canine atopic dermatitis therapy.
Complex diseases plague not only humans but our loyal four-legged companions as well. Conditions like cancer, metabolic disorders, and allergies affect domestic animals, with approximately 10% of dogs battling canine atopic dermatitis (cAD).
Canine Atopic Dermatitis Is a Lifelong Condition
The origins of cAD, a skin disease, are intricate, influenced by a mix of factors such as genetics and the environment. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for cAD, which necessitates a lifelong commitment to managing the condition, impacting not just the dogs but also their owners physically, mentally, and financially. The quest for better therapeutic options and more effective management of cAD is a pressing need to enhance the well-being of both dogs and their human families.
New Research Suggests Link Between Microbes and cAD
Recent attention has turned towards microbes and their potential to address complex diseases, such as atopic dermatitis in humans. Skin microbial imbalance, or dysbiosis, has been well-documented in human patients with atopic dermatitis. In a remarkable collaborative effort, scientists from the Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology at the University of Lübeck, in conjunction with colleagues at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technologies and Royal Canin SAS, explored the world of microbes residing on the skin and in the gut of Shiba Inu dogs. These dogs are known to be particularly susceptible to cAD, especially in Japan.
The researchers collected skin swabs from 12 different sites on each dog and stool samples from four distinct groups of Shiba Inu dogs: newly diagnosed cAD dogs, the same cAD dogs after a two-week treatment with the Janus kinase antagonist (Oclacitinib), cAD dogs receiving long-term Oclacitinib treatment, and healthy dogs. The bacterial compositions were meticulously analyzed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
The study allowed the researchers to compare the microbiome of cAD-affected dogs to that of healthy ones and observe the influence of Oclacitinib treatment on these microbial communities. The standout discovery of this study was the significant difference in Fusobacteria and Megamonas, which were abundantly present in healthy dogs but substantially reduced in cAD-affected dogs. Remarkably, after Oclacitinib treatment, these bacterial levels in cAD-affected dogs moved closer to the levels found in healthy dogs. Intriguingly, the impact of this treatment on the microbiota was more pronounced in the gut than on the skin. This groundbreaking research suggests that microbes could be potential targets for cAD therapy and valuable biomarkers for the condition.
Potential Treatments on the Horizon
Moreover, this study investigated the dog’s mitochondrial haplogroups for the first time, revealing their connection to specific bacterial taxa in both the skin and gut. The potential applications of these findings are promising, ranging from novel dietary interventions to reduce cAD-related bacteria and promote healthy microbiota in dogs to the development of new biomarkers for assessing cAD predisposition, treatment outcomes, and overall canine health management.
