The vaginal microflora changes in various stages of the estrous cycle of healthy female dogs and the ones with genital tract infections

Abstract

Background Inflammatory diseases of reproductive tract in bitches are a common problem in veterinary practice. The inflammation can lead to serious health problems. Research to determine the correlation between the health status of females, phase of the cycle, age and bacterial flora of the genital tract has been ongoing for years, but the results obtained by individual authors are often contradictory. Results A total of 39 dogs were included in this study. Ten were qualified to the 1st group with genital tract infections (8 in anestrus and 2 in proestrus) and 29 to the 2nd group without such infections (16 in anestrus, 9 in proestrus and 4 in diestrus). The most common bacterial isolates obtained from the vaginal tract of all dogs were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Streptococcus canis. The prevalence of Gram-negative rods (other than E. coli) was significantly higher in the group with genital tract infections versus healthy dogs. There was no presence of Chlamydiaceae, Chlamydia abortus and lactic acid-producing bacteria in tested swabs. Conclusions Our study identified the most common bacteria in the genital tract of bitches. The total number of bacteria was almost the same in the healthy and infected dogs, as well as between the cycle stages. In our opinion, bacterial culturing of vaginal swab specimens from bitches without signs of genital disease is of little value. Furthermore, it should always be preceded by clinical examination and cytological examination of the vaginal epithelium.

Canine Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Current Application and Possible Mechanisms

“…Previously, microbiomes were considered as pathogens that lead to diseases [1]; however, it is now evident that they are an important part of the human and animal body, and play a crucial role in host physiology [2][3][4]. Recent advances in culture-independent DNAsequencing technology (i.e., 16S rRNA sequencing) and data analysis methods revealed that every part of a dog's body, such as the oral and nasal cavity [5,6], skin [7,8], and the gastrointestinal [9,10], respiratory [11][12][13], urinary [14], and reproductive [15][16][17] tracts, harbor certain types of microbiota.…”

Vaginal microbial dynamics and pathogen colonization in a humanized microbiota mouse model

“…In humans, the vaginal microbiota composition fluctuates over the menstrual cycle likely due to steroid hormone-mediated changes in glycogen availability, a key nutrient source for Lactobacilli and other microbes (62,74,75). Observations in other mammals are mixed; reproductive cycle-associated fluctuations have been reported in some studies of non-human primates, bovine species, and rats (76)(77)(78)(79)(80) but not in other non-human primates, horses, or mini-pigs (81)(82)(83)(84). Like conventional C57BL/6J mice (24), we did not observe a strong influence of estrous stage on vaginal microbial compositions or individual taxa in HMb mice.…”

An immersive simulation strategy to teach canine vaginal cytology: A multi‐centre study

“…On the other hand, recognizing vaginitis is also relevant and bacterial phagocytosis is generally regarded as a hallmark of pathological conditions, such as vaginitis or pyometra (Camus et al, 2020), even if this may occur in normal animals (Groppetti et al, 2012). Bacterial flora and neutrophils also occur at diestrus (Golinska et al, 2021), which probably accounts for the misdiagnosis of diestrus in the case of vaginitis by some students. Even experienced observers, such as commercial laboratories, may incorrectly identify single smears of diestrus as proestrus and estrus as proestrus (Moxon et al, 2010), as it also occurred herein.…”