03273: Characterizing Potential Novel CIRD Pathogen and CIRD Microbiome Perturbations

Grant Status: Open

Grant Amount: $308,718
David B Needle, DVM; University of New Hampshire
July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025

Sponsor(s): Golden Retriever Foundation®, Irish Setter Club of America Foundation, The Kennel Club of Philadelphia

Breed(s): -All Dogs
Research Program Area: Lung and Respiratory Disease
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Abstract

In the spring of 2022, reports of dogs with illness consistent with canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) appeared in southern New Hampshire. Clinical signs were long in duration and resistant to treatment, yet affected dogs tested negative for many known respiratory pathogens. Next generation DNA sequencing of swabs from symptomatic dogs revealed a candidate pathogen novel to CIRD. This candidate pathogen is similar to a known human microbe associated with respiratory disease. Further PCR-based screening on swabs from symptomatic dogs confirmed the presence of this candidate pathogen in many of the samples, and subsequent testing on samples from symptomatic dogs from a wider geographic area indicated that the novel candidate pathogen is now widespread. While the evidence for the emergence of a specific novel pathogen is strong, there is a lack of complete understanding of its genomic content and functional potential, or knowledge of the respiratory microbial community associated with this infection. 

This study aims to completely characterize this new candidate pathogen, compare the DNA sequences across the geographic and temporal range of infection in dogs, and compare the microbial communities present across CIRD infections and controls to identify the relationships between respiratory disease and microbial communities. If achieved, these goals will significantly improve our understanding of this new CIRD infection and how respiratory microbiomes relate to the potential for infection across agents of CIRD.

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