Description and comparison of the skin and ear canal microbiota of non-allergic and allergic German shepherd dogs using next generation sequencing

Abstract

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin diseases in dogs. Pathogenesis is complex and incompletely understood. Skin colonizing bacteria likely play an important role in the severity of this disease. Studying the canine skin microbiota using traditional microbiological methods has many limitations which can be overcome by molecular procedures. The aim of this study was to describe the bacterial microbiota of the skin and ear canals of healthy non-allergic and allergic German shepherd dogs (GSDs) without acute flare or concurrent skin infection and to compare both. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence data revealed no differences of bacterial community patterns between the different body sites (axilla, front dorsal interdigital skin, groin, and ear canals) in non-allergic dogs. The microbiota at the different body sites of non-allergic GSDs showed no significant differences. Only for the samples obtained from the axilla the bacterial microbiota of allergic dogs was characterized by a lower species richness compared to that of non-allergic dogs and the bacterial community composition of the skin and ear canals of allergic dogs showed body site specific differences compared to non-allergic dogs. Actinobacteria was the most abundant phylum identified from the non-allergic dogs and Proteobacteria from allergic dogs. Macrococcus spp. were more abundant on non-allergic skin while Sphingomonas spp. were more abundant on the allergic skin. Forward step redundancy analysis of metadata indicated that the household the dogs came from had the strongest impact on the composition of the skin microbiome followed by sex, host health status and body site.

Antibiotic‐producing Micrococcales govern the microbiome that inhabits the fur of two‐ and three‐toed sloths

“…Previous reports have shown that members of Brevibacterium are common in the skin and hair of multiple animals. For instance in areas such as the axilla and the groin of dogs (German shepherds) Brevibacterium showed to be one of the most dominant bacteria inhabiting these habitats (Apostolopoulos et al ., 2021). Interestingly, the high abundance of these genera has been associated with wildlife mammals such as mice (Belheouane et al ., 2020).…”

Nasal microbiota profiles in shelter dogs with dermatological conditions carrying methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus species

“…Few publications to date have investigated the microbiota of dogs with skin allergies [24][25][26][27] . Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, it has been reported that the nares of allergic dogs had lower species richness compared to healthy dogs 24 .…”

“…Furthermore, studies have reported a decrease in bacterial diversity and an increase in the relative abundance of the Staphylococcus genus on the skin of dogs with dermatitis compared to healthy dogs 24,25,27 . Despite this, Staphylococcus is also considered to be the predominant genus on healthy dog's skin but with varying relative abundance, in addition to Corynebacterium, Kocuria, Macrococcus, Porphyromonas, Propionibacterium, Pseudomonas, and Streptococcus [24][25][26][27] . Interestingly, a previous study has investigated the effects of MRSA and MSSA colonisation on the lesional skin microbiota of humans with AD, and determined that those colonised with MRSA had reduced microbial diversity compared to MSSA colonisers 30 .…”

Hyphae, pseudohyphae, yeasts, spherules, spores, and more: A review on the morphology and pathology of fungal and oomycete infections in the skin of domestic animals

“…For instance, canine patients with otitis have microbial dysbiosis with increases in the yeast M. pachydermatis and increased Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. 4 Devon Rex and Sphynx cats, which often suffer from seborrheic dermatitis, have higher carriage rates of Malassezia spp, even in the absence of skin lesions. 75 Several fungal and oomycete species can penetrate through skin defects and are responsible for causing superficial and/or deep infections, occasionally resulting in systemic disease.…”

“…For instance, canine patients with otitis have microbial dysbiosis with increases in the yeast M. pachydermatis and increased Staphylococcus and Streptococcus . 4 Devon Rex and Sphynx cats, which often suffer from seborrheic dermatitis, have higher carriage rates of Malassezia spp , even in the absence of skin lesions. 75…”