About this Research Topic
The animal microbiome is the collection of microorganisms that inhabit various body locations, including archaea, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes. The microbiota primarily reside in the gut, providing essential nutrients to the host, and are directly relevant to digestive health and nutrient assimilation. In addition, microbiota at other body locations, including the skin, nasal cavity, oral cavity, respiratory tract, and reproductive organs, affect every aspect of host physiology. They play crucial roles in maintaining and modulating biological functions and the overall health of the host animal. The gut microbiome also influences brain function, mental health, and behavior through the gut-microbiome-brain axis, which is facilitated by neurotransmitters and metabolites secreted by the gut microbes. While there has been significant research on the human gut microbiome and its role in health and disease, the understanding of the gut microbiome in cats and dogs is still in its early stages.
The goal of this special research topic is to boost companion animal microbiome research and enhance our understanding of the diversity and complexity of canine and feline microbiomes at the omics and systems biology level. With state-of-the-art next-generation sequencing technologies and multi-omics analytical approaches, we aim to characterize the composition and variability of healthy canine and feline microbiomes, as well as their development and maturation. In addition, we seek factors that influence the microbiome, leading to shifts in composition or dysbiosis. These factors include, but are not limited to, genetic factors, diet/nutrition, environmental factors, and health/disease status. One of the focuses is to identify the microbiome correlates and/or causal microbiome signatures of canine and feline diseases, including common gastrointestinal issues, immune disorders, allergies, skin infections, obesity, behavior, cardiovascular and renal diseases, urinary tract infections, and mental health issues. The knowledge we gain about the microbiome in cats and dogs has great potential for practical implications in veterinary medicine to improve animal health and well-being through early diagnosis, the development of prebiotics/probiotics to promote gut health, and the prevention or treatment of companion animal diseases.
The special research topic will solicit primary research manuscripts and reviews on the canine and feline microbiome of the following research areas:
- omics techniques in characterizing microbiome;
- metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, metabolomic investigation of healthy microbiome development, variability, and maturation;
- microbiome research at omics and/or systems biology level in the context of disease, animal welfare, nutrition, behavior/mental health, gastrointestinal health, and immunity;
- omics or multi-omics studies to investigate host and/or gut microbiome responses to interventions and manipulations through prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, psychobiotics, nutritional supplements, pharmaceutical treatment, and fecal microbiota transplantations;
- heritability, ecology, and evolution of canine and feline microbiome at omics/system level
Studies using 16S rRNA ampliconic sequencing are welcome, if they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied. To conform to Systems Microbiology section guidelines, we do not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon profiles.
The goal of this special research topic is to boost companion animal microbiome research and enhance our understanding of the diversity and complexity of canine and feline microbiomes at the omics and systems biology level. With state-of-the-art next-generation sequencing technologies and multi-omics analytical approaches, we aim to characterize the composition and variability of healthy canine and feline microbiomes, as well as their development and maturation. In addition, we seek factors that influence the microbiome, leading to shifts in composition or dysbiosis. These factors include, but are not limited to, genetic factors, diet/nutrition, environmental factors, and health/disease status. One of the focuses is to identify the microbiome correlates and/or causal microbiome signatures of canine and feline diseases, including common gastrointestinal issues, immune disorders, allergies, skin infections, obesity, behavior, cardiovascular and renal diseases, urinary tract infections, and mental health issues. The knowledge we gain about the microbiome in cats and dogs has great potential for practical implications in veterinary medicine to improve animal health and well-being through early diagnosis, the development of prebiotics/probiotics to promote gut health, and the prevention or treatment of companion animal diseases.
The special research topic will solicit primary research manuscripts and reviews on the canine and feline microbiome of the following research areas:
- omics techniques in characterizing microbiome;
- metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, metabolomic investigation of healthy microbiome development, variability, and maturation;
- microbiome research at omics and/or systems biology level in the context of disease, animal welfare, nutrition, behavior/mental health, gastrointestinal health, and immunity;
- omics or multi-omics studies to investigate host and/or gut microbiome responses to interventions and manipulations through prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, psychobiotics, nutritional supplements, pharmaceutical treatment, and fecal microbiota transplantations;
- heritability, ecology, and evolution of canine and feline microbiome at omics/system level
Studies using 16S rRNA ampliconic sequencing are welcome, if they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied. To conform to Systems Microbiology section guidelines, we do not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon profiles.
Keywords: dog, cat, gut microbiome, skin microbiome, nasal microbiome, vaginal microbiome, microbiota dysbiosis, animal nutrition, probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
