Transition of the intestinal microbiota of cats with age

PLoS One. 2017 Aug 16;12(8):e0181739. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181739. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

The transition of intestinal microbiota with age has been well described in humans. However, the age-related changes in intestinal microbiota of cats have not been well studied. In the present study, we investigated the composition of intestinal microbiota of cats in 5 different age groups (pre-weanling, weanling, young, aged, senile) with a culture-based method. For lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, we also quantified with molecular-based method, real-time PCR. The results suggested that the composition of the feline intestinal microbiota changes with age, while the changes were different from those of humans and dogs. Bifidobacteria which are predominant in human intestine or lactobacilli which are predominant in dog intestine, did not appear to be important in cat intestines. Enterococci, instead, seem to be major lactic acid producing bacteria in cats. We also identified lactobacilli and bifidobacteria at the species level based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and found that the species composition of Lactobacillus also changed with age.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Animals
  • Bifidobacterium / classification
  • Bifidobacterium / genetics
  • Biodiversity*
  • Cats
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
  • Lactobacillus / classification
  • Lactobacillus / genetics
  • Metagenome
  • Metagenomics / methods

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial

Grants and funding

The present study was funded by Nisshin Petfood Inc., the employer of TKY, MK, Y. Oishi and SK. I, on behalf of all authors, state that there are no conflicts of interest. Nisshin Petfood Inc. only provided financial support in the form of salaries of TKY, MK, Y. Oishi and SK and research materials, but did not have additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.