Portrait of a Canine Probiotic – from Gut to Gut

The gastrointestinal environment is a complex interactive system involving the host, ingested dietary components, and numerous microbial species. We hypothesised that isolation and screening of and adherent to healthy canine gastrointestinal tissue would yield strains with commensal activity in canines. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from resected canine gastrointestinal tissue and screened for putative probiotic activities. Murine studies examined gastrointestinal transit and inhibition of translocation. One strain was progressed to a canine study where its impact on the gastrointestinal microbiota was determined. Of the 420 isolates from the canine gut, 62 strains were characterised as LAB. AHC7 adhered to epithelial cells, transited the murine gastrointestinal tract to high numbers and significantly reduced translocation. AHC7 consumption significantly reduced the carriage of , in particular , in dogs. This study describes the isolation and screening of canine-derived bacterial strains with commensal traits. The results demonstrate that AHC7 has significant potential for improving canine gastrointestinal health.