02809: Microbial and Cytokine Signatures of Periodontitis in Dogs
Grant Status: Open
Abstract
Periodontitis is a painful inflammatory disease that affects a vast majority of dogs at some point during their lifetime. Despite its importance, preventive, diagnostic and treatment strategies have not evolved for decades and these strategies lack a mechanistic rationale. Even though the possible causes and mechanisms of disease are not fully understood, they are believed to involve complex interactions between the host animal’s defense mechanisms and the microbial communities that are normally present under the gumline. Evidence suggests that the types of microbes present in these communities and their genetic material can influence a dog’s defense mechanisms but has yet to be explored. In this study, investigators will use modern molecular techniques to study the genetic material of the microbial communities present under the gumline of dogs with different stages of periodontal disease and determine how these communities relate to the degree of inflammation and destruction of the tissue attached to affected teeth. The results of this study will generate baseline knowledge on how and why periodontal disease occurs in dogs. Furthermore, this work will be important in designing future studies aimed at developing novel and more effective preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this highly relevant disease.
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