Allergy, living environment, lifestyle as well as skin and gut microbiota in dogs and their owners. human gut metagenome

Associations between skin and gut microbiota, lifestyle and living environment as well as the prevalence of allergy was examined in privately owned pet dogs and their owners. Adult humans collected fecal samples from their themselves with a tube with spatula to sample a spoonful from the central part of the feces and placed the samples in their household freezer within an hour after sampling. Later, the samples were carried on dry ice from the owners' residence to the lab. These samples were further characterized by the bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences. Lifestyle factors, residential environment, and allergic symptoms were quantified with a large questionnaire.