Normal intestinal microbiota

• The normal microbiota of the intestine consists of all living microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal (GI) tract:
  • Animals are born with a sterile GI tract, containing no bacteria; it is quickly populated with microorganisms after birth.
  • The composition of the normal flora changes as they grow, and once they reach adulthood, the composition remains fairly stable, with a small measure of variation in the proportions from day to day.
  • The small intestine in adult dogs can contain as many as 700 different strains of bacteria, while the canine large intestine may have as many as 5000 different strains.
• The composition of the normal intestinal microbiota is unique to every individual animal, though a few very common bacterial groups are found in most individuals.

The role of intestinal microbiota in health of the individual

Benefits of probiotics for gastrointestinal health

Requirements for probiotics

Single species or multiple species products

Probiotic usage

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
• Hart M L, Suchodolski J S, Steiner J M et al (2012) Open-label trial of a multi-strain synbiotic in cats with chronic diarrhea. J Feline Med Surg 14 (4), 240-245 PubMed.
• Kelley R, Levy K, Mundell P et al (2012) Effects of varying doses of a probiotic supplement fed to healthy dogs undergoing kenneling stress. Intern J Appl Res Vet Med 10 (3), 205-216 VetMedResource.
• Garcia-Mazcorro J F, Lanerie D J, Dowd S E et al (2011) Effect of a multi-species synbiotic formulation on fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy cats and dogs as evaluated by pyrosequencing. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 78 (3), 542-554 PubMed.
• Weese J S & Martin H (2011) Assessment of commercial probiotic bacterial contents and label accuracy. Can Vet J 52 (1), 43-46 PubMed.
• Kelley R L, Minikhiem D, Kiely B et al (2009) Clinical benefits of probiotic canine-derived Bifidobacterium animalis strain AHC7 in dogs with acute idiopathic diarrhea. Vet Ther 10 (3), 121-130 PubMed.
• Suchodolski J S, Dowd S E, Westermarck E et al (2009) The effect of the macrolide antibiotic tylosin on microbial diversity in the canine small intestine as demonstrated by massive parallel 16S rDNA gene sequencing. BMC Microbiology 9, 210 PubMed.
• Floch M H, Walker W, Guandalini S et al (2008) Recommendations for probiotic use--2008. J Clin Gastroenterol 42 (Suppl 2), S104-S108 PubMed.
• Janeczko S, Atwater D, Bogel E et al (2008) The relationship of mucosal bacteria to duodenal histopathology, cytokine mRNA, and clinical disease activity in cats with inflammatory bowel disease. Vet Microbiol 128 (1-2), 178-193 PubMed.
• Xenoulis P, Palculict B, Allenspach K et al (2008) Molecular-phylogenetic characterization of microbial communities imbalances in the small intestine of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 66 (3), 579-589 PubMed.
• Inness V L, McCartney A L, Khoo C et al (2007) Molecular characterisation of the gut microflora of healthy and inflammatory disease cats using fluorescence in situ hybridisation with special reference to Desulfovibrio spp. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 91 (1-2), 48-53 PubMed.
• Suchodolski J S, Ruaux C G, Steiner J M et al (2005) Assessment of the qualitative variation in bacterial microflora among compartments of the intestinal tract of dogs by use of a molecular fingerprinting technique. Am J Vet Res 66 (9), 1556-1562 PubMed.
• Weese J S (2002) Microbiologic evaluation of commercial probiotics. J Am Vet Med Assoc 220 (6), 794-797 PubMed.
• Madsen K, Cornish A, Soper P et al (2001) Probiotic bacteria enhance murine and human intestinal epithelial barrier function. Gastroenterol 121 (3), 580-591 PubMed.