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The gut microbiome of Australian cats and dogs: Dietary influences, health impacts, and emerging research
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This review synthesizes current knowledge about the gut microbiome of cats and dogs in Australia, examining how diet, environment, and disease shape microbial communities in companion animals. While primarily focused on pet health, the review also notes emerging concerns about environmental contaminants including microplastics that may influence gut microbial composition.
The gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in the health, metabolism, and behaviour of companion animals, yet comprehensive syntheses of its composition and functional relevance in cats and dogs in Australia are overlooked and remain limited globally. This review synthesises current knowledge on the gut microbial communities inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of dog and cats, with a particular focus on taxonomic diversity, dietary modulation, and associations with disease states within Australian context. Core phyla including Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria dominate the canine and feline gut, but marked interspecies and individual variability is shaped by factors such as feeding practices, living environment, obesity, and chronic disease. Recent studies have elucidated functional signatures linked to conditions ranging from the influence of microplastics to pet gut health, as well as gut-microbiome transmission between pets and their owners, highlighting this area as a promising field of investigation. In parallel, this review contextualizes the broader landscape of pet ownership in Australia, where nearly 70 % of households own pets, and significant resources are devoted to nutrition, veterinary care, and preventive health. Emerging evidence also suggests bidirectional influences between pets and their human companions' microbiota, highlighting opportunities for integrated approaches. We identify critical knowledge gaps, including the need for region-specific microbial baselines, standardized methodologies, and controlled intervention trials targeting microbiome modulation and transmission. By consolidating advances across microbial ecology, veterinary medicine, and translational research, this review provides a foundation for future studies that aim to harness the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of the pet microbiome, thereby improving health outcomes for animals and humans alike.
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This review paper summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles found throughout the environment and their relationship with gut bacteria in humans and animals. It describes how these particles may disrupt the balance of gut microbes, a change linked to various diseases, and calls for more detailed studies using advanced lab techniques to understand the health effects.
Gut dysbiosis: Nutritional causes and risk prevention in poultry, with reference to other animals
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This review examines the causes and consequences of gut dysbiosis in poultry and other animals, identifying microplastics as one of several environmental pollutants that can disrupt gastrointestinal microbial communities. Researchers describe how reduced microbial diversity leads to inflammation, compromised gut barriers, and disorders affecting multiple organ systems. The study highlights that microplastics, along with heavy metals, pesticides, and other contaminants, contribute to the growing challenge of maintaining healthy gut microbiomes in animal populations.
Interaction between microplastics and microorganism as well as gut microbiota: A consideration on environmental animal and human health
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This review explores how microplastics interact with microorganisms in the environment and within the gut, examining implications for both animal and human health. Researchers found that microplastics can alter gut microbiota composition, promote the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and amplify the toxicity of other environmental pollutants. The study suggests that the interaction between microplastics and gut microorganisms is an important emerging area for understanding health risks.
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Researchers reviewed how microplastics appear in the feces of humans, dogs, cats, and marine mammals, finding PET plastic to be the most common type across species. Analyzing feces offers a non-invasive way to track how much plastic organisms are ingesting, which could help guide environmental health policies.
Host, its microbiota and their interactions
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This thesis reviews the interactions between multicellular hosts and their associated microbial communities, examining how environmental pollutants including microplastics can alter the composition and function of host microbiota. The work connects emerging knowledge about plastic pollution with gut and environmental microbiome research.
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