AKC Canine Health Foundation - 23

How do Maternal, Environmental, and Genetic Factors
Contribute to Acquisition and Evolution of the Enteric
Microbiome in Dogs?
David Williams, MA, VetMB, PhD, MRCVS, DACVIM-SAIM,
DECVIM-CA
University of Illinois
BIOGRAPHY
David Williams received his veterinary degree from the
University of Cambridge (UK) and PhD from the University of
Liverpool (UK). He was an intern and resident at the University
of Pennsylvania and has held Faculty positions at the University
of Florida, Kansas State, Purdue and Texas A&M Universities, and is presently a Professor at
the University of Illinois. He pioneered the development of immunoassays for enzymes in
veterinary medicine (serum TLI and PL) and established numerous other assays currently
provided through the GI Lab at Texas A&M, where he remains a consultant. Since his PhD
studies on the jejunal microbiome in dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in the 1980s, as
technological advances have occurred, he has maintained a primary interest in the role of the
intestinal microbiome in health and disease and the relationship to nutrient absorption and
malabsorption.
PRESENTATION ABSTRACT
Asthma, atopy, chronic enteropathies, and obesity are associated with altered development of
the microbiome in humans. Preliminary studies indicate that development of the enteric
microbiome in dogs is similar to humans, but there is a knowledge gap related to how early life
events and host genetics influence the process. The objective of this study is to document the
development of the gastrointestinal microbiome longitudinally from birth to adulthood in a
population of dogs with known genealogies and under controlled environmental conditions.
We hypothesize that puppies are first colonized by microbes from their mothers and that
significant compositional shifts will be associated with early life events such as weaning.
Furthermore, we expect to identify specific genetic elements associated with divergent
outcomes of microbiome maturation.
We will collect samples from mothers prior to birth, then from their offspring starting within 24
hours of birth and extending to the age of 14 months. We will characterize longitudinal changes
in the enteric microbiome by high-throughput sequencing the 16S-rRNA gene. A genome-wide
association study will be used to identify specific genetic elements associated with divergent
outcomes of microbial development.
It is expected that this innovative and ambitious investigation will advance the state of
knowledge regarding canine enteric microbiome development. It is hoped that such knowledge
will lead to novel approaches to optimize canine growth and positively influence overall health.
CURRENT CHF GRANTS
02899: How do Maternal, Environmental, and Genetic Factors Contribute to Acquisition and
Evolution of the Enteric Microbiome in Dogs?
2023 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference
Presented by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and Nestlé Purina PetCare
AKC Canine Health Foundation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AKC Canine Health Foundation
