GI02 - Impact of Omeprazole on Esophageal Microbiota in Dogs Using a Minimally Invasive Sampling Method

Abstract:

Background: The impact of omeprazole on human esophageal microbiome (EM) and its associated side effects have been extensively studied. While the esophageal string test (EST) is a non-invasive technique established for sampling human EM, its application in assessing the effect of omeprazole on canine EM has not been explored.

Objectives: To assess the changes and subsequent recovery of the canine EM following omeprazole treatment, utilizing the EST in awake dogs. Animals: Ten healthy, client-owned adult dogs.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal design was employed, where esophageal samples were initially collected using EST (day 0), involving the oral administration of an EST capsule and subsequent retrieval after 15 minutes for pH-based segment identification. The dogs were then administered 1mg/kg omeprazole orally, twice daily for 14 days. Follow-up EST samplings were conducted on days 15 and 45. Samples were sequenced targeting the V3-V4 region of the 16Ss rRNA gene. Diversity as well as Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis were conducted by Zymo Research (Irvine, CA).

Results: All dogs tolerated the EST capsules without adverse effects. Diversity analysis revealed no significant alterations in alpha and beta diversity (Bray-Curtis) across the time points. The predominant phyla identified were Proteobacteria and Bacteroides. Enterobacteriaceae was enriched in samples collected at day 15 (LDA score= 2.8, p-value= 0.04) Conclusions and clinical importance: Omeprazole therapy did not significantly alter the canine EM in this study. The application of EST in dogs highlights its use as non-invasive tool for investigating the role of EM in canine esophageal health and disease.