Celebrating the Breakthroughs Shaping the Future of Canine Health. Meet the 2025 Canine Health Discovery Award Finalists.

1 min read Grant Period: June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2027 Active Grant

03574-A: Development of an Antibiotic Susceptibility Protocol and Genetic Characterization of Canine Mycoplasmas

Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC) commonly known as “kennel cough” is a highly contagious disease affecting the canine population. Mycoplasma spp., a cell wall-less bacteria, is an important pathogen contributing to this disease process. Canine mycoplasmas have been implicated in urogenital disease as well leading to infertility issues including poor semen quality. Veterinarians must rely on empirical treatment for managing these infections due to lack of a standardized antibiotic susceptibility testing, a method that determines the best antibiotic than can be used, often leading to treatment failures. This project will develop a standardized AST protocol for canine mycoplasmas and provide evidence-based treatment option for veterinarians to manage this infection. We further aim to characterize the genome of these mycoplasmas thus providing insights to the pathogenic process and help future research aimed at controlling this disease.