02434-A: Characterization of the Anal Sac Microbiota in Dogs with Sacculitis
Grant Status: Closed
Abstract
Anal sacs are two small cavities found adjacent to the anus in dogs and accumulate secretions from the ad-anal glands. Inflammation of the anal sac (sacculitis) is a frequent condition affecting up to 12% of dogs and is mainly caused by bacterial infection. Therefore, treatment of this disease requires antibiotics, but reoccurrence can occur and often culminates with surgery. During the last decades, the development of new methods for DNA sequencing has allowed a better characterization of bacterial communities, since only the minority of those organisms grow in culture media. Imbalances of the normal populations are related to predisposition to certain diseases. Risk factors for sacculitis in dogs are still uncertain, but studies investigating the role of bacteria in this disease are rare. The investigators will characterize the microbiota present in the anal sac of dogs affected by sacculitis and compare it to the healthy contra-lateral sac using next generation DNA sequencing (NGS). In addition, factors such as antibiotic use, severity of inflammation and clinical response to treatment will be followed. Understanding the physiopathology of sacculitis in dogs may lead to increased success rates following conservative treatment, reducing the need for invasive surgery
Publication(s)
None at this time.
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