Possible effect of environment on lung microbiota in the healthy West Highland white terrier.

Over the past few years, the number of publications about lung microbiota has considerably increased due to the advancement of new molecular technologies. In dogs, only two studies in healthy experimental beagles have been published. Interestingly, we recently reported major differences in the lung microbiota composition and diversity between experimental healthy beagles and healthy client-owned West Highland white terriers (WHWT) suggesting an impact of the breed or of the living environment on lung microbiota composition. Accordingly, to further assess the effect of living environment, the aim of the present study was to compare lung microbiota data obtained in healthy WHWT (n = 5) living in Finland with those previously obtained in healthy WHWT (n = 5) living in Belgium. For this purpose, bronchoalveolar lavage was retrospectively selected. Metagenetic analysis were performed after DNA extraction and sequencing on a MiSeq Illumina sequencer. Taxonomical assignation and microbiota community analysis were done with MOTHUR V1.35 with an OTU clustering distance of 0.03. Data analyses demonstrated that the same 4 major phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes predominated in both groups of dogs. Significant but subtle differences were observed between groups. Results of the present study do not demonstrate a clear impact of the living environment on lung microbiota composition. In conclusion, analysis of larger cohorts of healthy dogs with various living conditions appears necessary.