Influence of the FIV Status and Chronic Gingivitis on Feline Oral Microbiota

Abstract

Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) has an unclear pathogenesis with the oral microbiome and viral infections, such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), thought to contribute. Although the relationship between the FIV status and FCGS is not clear, one theory is FIV-induced immune dysregulation could contribute to oral dysbiosis, promoting FCGS development. To further understand the relationship between FCGS, FIV infection, and the oral microbiome, oral cavities of forty cats fitting within 4 groups (FIV- without gingivitis, FIV+ without gingivitis, FIV- with gingivitis, FIV+ with gingivitis) were swabbed. Next generation sequencing targeting the V4 region of the 16s rRNA gene was performed for bacterial community profiling. No differences in diversity were observed, however, analysis of the data in terms of gingivitis revealed differences in the relative abundance of taxa and predicted functional output. Odoribacter spp., a bacteria associated with oral disease, was found in higher relative abundances in cats with the highest gingivitis grade. Cats with gingivitis were also found to harbor communities more involved in production of short-chain fatty acids, which have been connected with oral disease. Significant findings associated with the FIV status were few and of low impact, suggesting any connection between the FIV status and FCGS is likely not related to the oral microbiota.

Characterization of Oral Microbiota in Cats: Novel Insights on the Potential Role of Fungi in Feline Chronic Gingivostomatitis

“…This may suggest an antagonistic relationship between the two taxa. A significant enrichment of Xanthomonadaceae was also previously reported for cats without gingivitis, which aligns with the data presented here [ 23 ]. In vitro studies may be needed to further investigate this.…”

“…However, a previously published study in cats suffering from FCGS demonstrated a higher microbial diversity in cats with FCGS [ 18 ], which is contrary to the results obtained here. Another study observed no differences in the diversity of the bacterial profile of cats with and without chronic gingivitis [ 23 ]. The mycological analysis, however, showed a significantly lower fungal diversity in healthy cats compared to cats with FCGS ( Figure 1 b,c).…”

Evaluation of the effectiveness of therapy for compensated intestinal dysbiosis in cats

“…В результате этого активизируется не только условно патогенная микрофлора, но даже и у сапрофитной микробиоты могут возникать факторы патогенности. Такая ситуация создает широкие возможности для формирования различных сочетаний микрофлоры в биотопах организма, приводящих к возникновению сложнокомпонентных и, зачастую, недоброкачественных микробиоценозов [7][8][9].…”

Detection and genetic characterization of feline retroviruses in domestic cats with clinical signs and hematological alterations associated with retroviral infection

“…One female presented mammary adecarcinoma and neutropenia while another cat presented gingivostomatitis. Both of these conditions can be attributed to FIV infection given that the retrovirus predisposes hosts to various infections including those of the oral cavity [40,57], and FIV infection is associated with a greater risk of neoplasm development, including mammary tissue neoplasms [58]. Cytopenias, including neutropenia, are frequent alterations found in FIV-positive cat blood counts [21,[49][50][51].…”