Species-level characterization of canine saliva and dental plaque microbiota reveal putative biomarkers of periodontal diseases in dogs

Despite periodontal diseases, such as chronic gingival inflammation and periodontitis, are among the most common bacterial/related pathologies affecting the oral cavity of dogs, the canine oral ecosystem and its correlations with oral diseases development are still far from being fully characterized.In this context, the species-level taxonomic composition of both salivary and dental plaque microbiota of healthy dogs was investigated through a shallow shotgun sequencing approach.