In the field of chronic intestinal diseases, there is a new dysbiosis index for dogs from the USA.
Below is a translated, recent article from Texas A&M University:
TEXAS A&M RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW METHOD TO DETECT CHRONIC GI DISEASES IN DOGS
Report by Courtney Price, VMBS Communications
A research team led by the Gastrointestinal Laboratory (GI Laboratory) of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has validated a new diagnostic index that will help veterinarians assess chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction in dogs and could be key to diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal diseases in the future.
In a recent article published in the journal Animals, researchers from GI Lab tested their Dysbiosis Index (DI) using the microbiomes of 296 dogs and showed that their index is a valid diagnostic tool for differentiating between acute and chronic GI dysfunctions and for detecting non-GI diseases.
The DI has now been licensed by Texas A&M and IDEXX Laboratories and is offered by the GI Laboratory and IDEXX.
„We are pleased to offer clinicians a fast, cost-effective and reliable test to assess the health of the gut microbiome in dogs,“ said Dr. Chi-Hsuan Sung, first author of the article and member of the GI Lab team.
The DI works by identifying dysbiosis – the loss of good, healthy bacteria in the gut microbiome – by tracking the levels of different bacteria over time.
„The dysbiosis index can accurately predict overall changes in the microbiome,“ says Dr. Jan Suchodolski, deputy head of research at the GI laboratory. „In this way, we can define what is normal and abnormal for the health of the gut microbiome, so that we can recognize when a patient’s intestinal system has deviated from the norm.“
Since more than 10% of all new veterinary visits are due to gastrointestinal disorders in dogs and cats, knowing when a patient's microbiome deviates from the norm helps veterinarians decide whether it is an acute or chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction requiring different treatment methods.
Define what is normal
„One of the biggest challenges in microbiome research is defining what is normal and what is abnormal,“ said Suchodolski.
„All too often, researchers use techniques and technologies that are not reproducible, meaning other researchers are unable to replicate their process,“ he said. „For example, genome sequencing, which maps an organism’s DNA, is a popular tool for scientists to find out what types of bacteria are part of the microbiome. But it’s more of a discovery tool. If two researchers sequence the same samples, they can get different results. It’s not accurate enough to be used as a diagnostic tool.”.
Being able to distinguish between normal and abnormal bacteria can improve the health of the microbiome.
But it's more of a discovery tool. If two researchers sequence the same samples, they can get different results. It's not accurate enough to be used as a diagnostic tool.
The ability to distinguish between normal and abnormal bacteria can make a big difference when veterinarians are trying to decide whether a patient has acute or chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction.
„You can think of the microbiome like a landscape you see when you look out of a window,“ says Suchodolski. „Acute gastrointestinal dysfunction is like a storm that passes through and knocks down a few trees, but the landscape recovers. Chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction, however, is much more destructive and leads to permanent changes.“.
„"This index will help experts better assess the type of gastrointestinal dysfunction a patient has, so they can select the right treatments and set expectations for the patient's nursing staff."“
Dr. Jan Suchodolski
Chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction, which affects approximately 2% of dogs, also requires a completely different clinical treatment approach.
„When a patient develops chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction, permanent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract,“ he says. „The disease will likely persist for many years or even a lifetime. Instead of curing it, we look for ways to control the disease using diet and other means.”.
„"This index helps experts better assess what type of gastrointestinal dysfunction a patient has, so they can select the right treatments and set expectations.".
The GI laboratory was able to validate the DI in part thanks to the Purina PetCare Research Excellence Fund, a five-year partnership with Nestlé Purina PetCare Global Research to promote diagnostic and interventional research on the gut microbiome.
„We are grateful to Purina PetCare for collaborating with us so that we can improve patients“ lives in new ways,„ said Suchodolski. “It is important for the researchers at the GI laboratory to have research partners who share our values.”
A look into the future
Now that the researchers at the GI lab have validated their index, the lab has identified several avenues for further exploration. These include using the DI as a tool for screening donors for fecal microbiota transplantation, a procedure in which feces from a healthy patient are introduced into the intestine of a patient with a GI disease to repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria.
„Fecal transplants are a novel procedure that is still under development in veterinary medicine. In the future, we want to be sure that the donors have a normal microbiome, and the index can help with that,“ said Suchodolski.
The team is also working on developing similar indices to further improve the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases by veterinarians and intestinal specialists.
„In the long term, we want to develop tools that help with the early detection of GI diseases,“ said Suchodolski. „At the moment, the index helps us to distinguish between chronic and acute diseases, but ultimately we also want to identify markers for early detection.“
Given the prevalence of gastrointestinal diseases in dogs, the researchers say this work will help to advance veterinary medicine into the future.
(C) https://vetmed.tamu.edu/gilab/service/assays/canine-microbiota-dysbiosis-index/
Our summary for you
- 🐕 New diagnostic index for dogsResearchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine have developed a Dysbiosis Index Canine (DI) to assess chronic gastrointestinal dysfunction in dogs.
- 🧪 Validation through studyThe Dysbiosis Index Dog was tested on 296 dogs and has proven to be an effective tool for differentiating between acute and chronic GI dysfunctions.
- 💡 Innovation in diagnosticsThe Dysbiosis Index for dogs detects dysbiosis by monitoring various bacteria in the intestinal microbiome and can distinguish normal from abnormal conditions.
- 🏥 Clinical relevance: More than 10% of the Veterinary visits These disorders affect the gastrointestinal tract. The Dysbiosis Index for dogs helps determine whether the condition is acute or chronic.
- 🔬 Research challengesThe Dysbiosis Index Canine addresses the problem of reproducibility in microbiome research and offers a more accurate diagnostic method than conventional genome sequencing.
- 🚑 Applications and future outlookThe dysbiosis index for dogs will be used in veterinary medicine in the future, among other things for the preparation of fecal microbiota transplants.
- 🤝 Support and partnershipThe development of the Dysbiosis Index for dogs was made possible through the partnership with Nestlé Purina PetCare and their research fund.
SummaryThe Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a Dysbiosis Index for dogs to diagnose and treat chronic GI diseases, which is a more precise and reproducible method compared to conventional diagnostic tools.
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