Canine Microbiome during Parasitism (CaMP)

We investigated the impact of eukaryotic parasite infection on the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome in a cohort of 258 dogs. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to profile fecal samples of uninfected dogs (n=145), dogs infected with a single parasite (n=92), and dogs infected with multiple parasites (n=21). Parasites were detected as part of both sick and wellness visits and from dogs used in the spay clinic. Fecal samples were examined for parasites by fecal flotation at the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania's Ryan Veterinary Hospital. Parasites detected included the protozoan parasites Giardia (n=32) and Cystoisospora (n=12), and helminths including hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) (n=19), whipworm (Trichuris vulpis) (n=12), ascarid (Toxocara canis) (n=9), tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) (n=5), and Eucoleus boehmi (n=3).