Endoscopically guided nasojejunal tube placement in dogs for short-term postduodenal feeding.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a method for endoscopically guided nasojejunal tube placement allowing short-term postduodenal feeding and chyme withdrawal in dogs. DESIGN: Pilot study. SETTING: University teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Three healthy Beagle dogs with jejunal nipple valve fistulas. INTERVENTIONS: After the dogs were anesthetized, an 8 Fr, 250-cm polyvinyl chloride catheter was advanced through a gastroscope into the jejunum. Correct jejunal placement was established using endoscopic visualization and confirmed by fluoroscopy and radiography. The proximal end of the tube was pulled out through 1 nostril and sutured to the skin of the forehead. Thereafter, jejunal feeding was administered for 4 days. Follow-up examinations included daily confirmation of the tube's position using radiography, physical examination, and blood analyses. Withdrawal of jejunal chyme was performed after jejunal and oral feeding. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fluoroscopic examination confirmed that endoscopic visualization alone allowed correct jejunal placement. During a 4-day postduodenal feeding period, repeated radiographic examination revealed stable positioning of the tubes within the jejunum with minor cranial displacement. The tubes were functional throughout the study without causing identifiable problems. Repeated physical examinations and blood analysis showed no abnormalities. We were able to administer the daily caloric requirements as a liquid diet. Jejunal chyme was successfully withdrawn via the tube. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopically guided nasojejunal tube placement was shown to be a minimally invasive, well-tolerated method for short-term jejunal feeding in healthy dogs. This technique is a viable option for dogs requiring jejunal feeding but not laparotomy. The feasibility of chyme sampling is another unique application of the procedure.

Alteration of the canine small-intestinal lactic acid bacterium microbiota by feeding of potential probiotics.

Five potentially probiotic canine fecal lactic acid bacterium (LAB) strains, Lactobacillus fermentum LAB8, Lactobacillus salivarius LAB9, Weissella confusa LAB10, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LAB11, and Lactobacillus mucosae LAB12, were fed to five permanently fistulated beagles for 7 days. The survival of the strains and their potential effects on the indigenous intestinal LAB microbiota were monitored for 17 days. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) demonstrated that the five fed LAB strains survived in the upper gastrointestinal tract and modified the dominant preexisting indigenous jejunal LAB microbiota of the dogs. When the LAB supplementation was ceased, DGGE analysis of jejunal chyme showed that all the fed LAB strains were undetectable after 7 days. However, the diversity of the intestinal indigenous microbiota of the dogs, as characterized from jejunal chyme plated on Lactobacillus selective medium without acetic acid, was reduced and did not return to the original level during the study period. In all but one dog, an indigenous Lactobacillus acidophilus strain emerged as the dominant LAB strain. In conclusion, strains LAB8 to LAB12 have potential as probiotic strains for dogs as they survive in and dominate the jejunal LAB microbiota during feeding and have the ability to modify the intestinal microbiota.

Tylosin-responsive chronic diarrhea in dogs.

Fourteen dogs had shown chronic or intermittent diarrhea for more than 1 year. Diarrhea had been successfully treated with tylosin for at least 6 months but recurred when treatment was withdrawn on at least 2 occasions. Tylosin-responsive diarrhea (TRD) affects typically middle-aged, large-breed dogs and clinical signs indicate that TRD affects both the small and large intestine. Treatment with tylosin eliminated diarrhea in all dogs within 3 days and in most dogs within 24 hours. Tylosin administration controlled diarrhea in all dogs, but after it was discontinued, diarrhea reappeared in 12 (85.7%) of 14 dogs within 30 days. Prednisone given for 3 days did not completely resolve diarrhea. Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG did not prevent the relapse of diarrhea in any of 9 dogs so treated. The etiology of TRD, a likely form of antibiotic-responsive diarrhea (ARD) is unclear. The following reasons for chronic diarrhea were excluded or found to be unlikely: parasites, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, enteropathogenic bacteria (Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Yersinia spp., or Lawsoni intracellularis), and Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin and Clostridium difficile A toxin. A possible etiologic factor is a specific enteropathogenic organism that is a common resident in the canine gastrointestinal tract and is sensitive to tylosin but difficult to eradicate. Additional studies are required to identify the specific cause of TRD.

Streptococcus alactolyticus is the dominating culturable lactic acid bacterium species in canine jejunum and feces of four fistulated dogs.

Canine intestinal lactic acid bacterium (LAB) population in four fistulated dogs was cultured and enumerated using MRS agar. LAB levels ranging from 1.4x10(6) to 1.5x10(7) CFU ml(-1) were obtained in jejunal chyme. In the fecal samples 7.0x10(7) and 2.0x10(8) CFU g(-1) were detected. Thirty randomly selected isolates growing in the highest sample dilutions were identified to species level using numerical analysis of 16S and 23S rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns (ribotyping) and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. According to these results, Streptococcus alactolyticus was the dominant culturable LAB species in both feces and jejunal chyme. In addition, Lactobacillus murinus and Lactobacillus reuteri were detected.

Absence of host specificity for in vitro adhesion of probiotic lactic acid bacteria to intestinal mucus.

Adhesion of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been reported to be host species specific. Host specificity is regarded as a desirable property for probiotic bacteria and therefore recommended as one of the selection criteria. However, previous studies have indicated that LAB originating from one host adhere well also to the mucus of other species. The aim of the study was to investigate the host specificity of LAB adhesion in human, canine, possum, bird and fish mucus in vitro. An in vitro mucus adhesion model was utilized in this study using immobilized mucus from faeces or intestinal material of these hosts. The results indicate that the adhesion trait was not host specific but rather was characteristic to LAB species. In conclusion, mucus adhesion properties are more dependent on the LAB strain than on the host. This suggests that animal models in probiotic adhesion assays may be more applicable to other species than thought earlier. Positive health effects facilitated by adherent probiotics in humans may also denote the possibility of similar outcome in other species and vice versa.

Relationship between canine mucosal and serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations: serum IgA does not assess duodenal secretory IgA.

A double-sandwich enzyme immunoassay method was developed for determination of serum immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) and mucosal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in duodenal brush samples obtained via endoscopy and the relationship between enteric mucosal sIgA, salivary sIgA and S-IgA in dogs was examined. Twenty healthy dogs underwent routine endoscopy. A brush sample from the duodenal mucosa was obtained and washed in PBS, with a serum sample being taken concurrently. A saliva sample was collected from twelve of these dogs. S-IgA and sIgA with total protein concentrations in the duodenal washings and saliva samples were determined. A significant negative correlation (r = -0.64, P = 0.0059) was found between duodenal sIgA/protein ratios and S-IgA concentrations. Saliva sIgA/protein ratios did not correlate with sIgA/protein ratios of duodenal samples. The method described here allows for direct assessment of duodenal IgA; therefore indirect measures based on serum IgA or salivary IgA can be avoided. In addition, these indirect measures appear to be poor indicators of duodenal sIgA competence in dogs.

Interaction between probiotic lactic acid bacteria and canine enteric pathogens: a risk factor for intestinal Enterococcus faecium colonization?

Selected probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been shown to elicit positive health effects particularly in humans. Competitive exclusion of pathogens is one of the most important beneficial health claims of probiotic bacteria. The effect of probiotic LAB on competitive exclusion of pathogens has been demonstrated in humans, chicken and pigs. In this study we evaluated the ability of certain LAB strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12, Lactobacillus pentosus UK1A, L. pentosus SK2A, Enterococcus faecium M74 and E. faecium SF273) to inhibit the adhesion of selected canine and zoonotic pathogens (Staphylococcus intermedius, Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, Clostridium perfringens and Campylobacter jejuni) to immobilised mucus isolated from canine jejunal chyme in vitro. Adhesion of C. perfringens was reduced significantly by all tested LAB strains, between 53.7 and 79.1% of the control without LAB, the LAB of canine origin yielding the best reduction. The adhesion of S. Typhimurium and S. intermedius were not significantly altered by any of the LAB included in the study. Both enterococci tested significantly enhanced the adhesion of C. jejuni, to 134.6 and 205.5% of the control without LAB. E. faecium may thus favor the adhesion and colonization of C. jejuni in the dog's intestine, making it a potential carrier and possibly a source for human infection. Enhanced C. jejuni adhesion is a new potential risk factor of enterococci. Our results further emphasize the importance of safety guidelines to be established for the probiotics intended for animal use.

Evaluation of pancreatic forceps biopsy by laparoscopy in healthy beagles.

The effects of laparoscopic biopsies were determined in four healthy laboratory beagles. Biopsies were taken from the pancreas of three dogs and from the peripancreatic fat of one dog. Clinical examinations and blood sampling for hematologic and biochemical tests were performed before laparoscopy and weekly throughout each dog's participation in the study (7 or 21 days). No clinical signs of pancreatitis were observed, and hematologic and biochemical parameters remained within normal limits in three dogs. One dog exhibited a transient increase in trypsinlike immunoreactivity, amylase, and lipase. Minor adhesions between the pancreas, small intestine, and peritoneum were observed macroscopically in this dog. Histologically, granulation tissue and a mild nonsuppurative inflammation in the pancreas were present. No abnormal changes were seen macroscopically or histologically in the other two dogs for which pancreatic biopsies were performed. Thus, laparoscopy appears to be safe, with neither permanent abnormalities in blood parameters nor changes in clinical health occurring during or after the procedure in healthy beagles.