Longitudinal full-length 16S rRNA gene profiling of the canine gut microbiome impact of age, diet, birth mode, and reproductive stage /
The gut microbiome undergoes dynamic age-related restructuring influenced by dietary transitions and maternal factors. This thesis presents a species-level, long-read 16S rRNA gene survey of longitudinal gut microbial community dynamics in a translational canine model. A total of 84 purebred Hungari...
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| További közreműködők: | |
| Dokumentumtípus: | Disszertáció |
| Megjelent: |
2026-05-26
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| Kulcsszavak: | canine gut microbiome, long-read 16S rRNA sequencing, longitudinal study, microbiome maturation, birth mode, maternal microbiome, weaning and diet, alpha and beta diversity, species-level resolution, co-occurrence networks |
| Tárgyszavak: | |
| doi: | 10.14232/phd.13030 |
| Online Access: | http://doktori.ek.szte.hu/13030 |
| Tartalmi kivonat: | The gut microbiome undergoes dynamic age-related restructuring influenced by dietary transitions and maternal factors. This thesis presents a species-level, long-read 16S rRNA gene survey of longitudinal gut microbial community dynamics in a translational canine model. A total of 84 purebred Hungarian Pumi dogs comprising the main cohort were profiled across early-life and reproductive stages, generating 446 fecal samples collected longitudinally from 55 vaginally delivered puppies followed from birth to 81 weeks of age, their mothers sampled during pregnancy and lactation, and adult control dogs from six kennels. Detailed dietary metadata and reproductive status were recorded throughout the study. Additionally, a cesareansection subgroup comprising five puppies (8–10 week age window), yielding a total of 10 samples (two samples per puppy), was included in the study and analyzed independently from the main cohort. Age emerged as the strongest determinant of alpha diversity, with a rapid increase during the weaning transition and stabilization by approximately six months of age. Beta diversity analyses revealed structured compositional transitions from early developmental phases toward increasingly uniform, adult-like communities. Within-kennel variation remained modest consistent with shared environmental exposures. Mixed-effects modeling demonstrated robust associations between specific taxa and age, diet, and kennel environment. SparCC-inferred cooccurrence networks indicated progressive increases in ecological complexity and modular organization with maturation. Delivery mode influenced early-life microbiome composition, with Lactobacillus spp. significantly more abundant in cesarean-born puppies than in vaginally delivered littermates during the 8–10-week window. Maternal gut microbiota exhibited reproducible stageassociated shifts during pregnancy and lactation, characterized by transient alpha diversity variation and compositional dynamics across the peripartum transition; however, these changes were not consistently linked to kennel or diet and were not uniformly shared across individuals. In conclusion, domestic dogs follow a reproducible, age-structured trajectory of gut microbial maturation under controlled breeding conditions. This developmental pattern parallels specific aspects of human microbiome development, including delivery mode–associated compositional differences and diet-responsive taxa. Through longitudinal sampling, species-level microbial profiling, and covariate-adjusted mixed-effects modeling, this thesis establishes a developmental reference framework for the canine gut microbiome and reinforces the translational relevance of the dog as a comparative model in microbiome research. |
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| Terjedelem/Fizikai jellemzők: | 120 |