The number of companion animals living with humans has continually increased over the last few decades, and so has the interest of owners and stakeholders in the animal food and probiotics industry. Currently, the probiotic bacteria added to the feed of companion animals predominantly originate from the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used for humans; however, there are differences between the microbiota of humans and that of their companion animals. This study aimed to determine the dominant LAB in dog feces and investigate their functional properties. Ligilactobacillus animalis (formerly called Lactobacillus animalis) was identified as the dominant lactic acid bacterium in dog feces. It displayed various inhibitory effects against pathogenic and enteropathogenic bacteria. This finding suggests that Ligilactobacillus animalis can potentially be used in novel probiotics or as a food additive for dogs.
Keywords: Ligilactobacillus animalis; antibacterial activity; companion animals; intestinal microbiota; lactic acid bacteria; probiotics.
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.