Abstract
Background: Understanding the urogenital microbiota would allow us to compare the bacterial populations in healthy and pathological conditions and assess their impact on various urogenital diseases. The aim of our research was to characterize and compare the urogenital microbiota during different phases of the estrous cycle in healthy female dogs. DNA extraction, 16S rDNA library preparation, sequencing, and informatics analysis were employed to determine the vaginal and urinary microbiota in 10 healthy beagle dogs at each phase of the cycle.
Results: Alpha diversity, richness, and evenness of bacterial populations in the vagina were not significantly different across the various cycle phases. However, there was a significant difference in vaginal beta diversity between the different cycle phases, except for anestrus and diestrus. Conversely, no differences in alpha and beta diversity were observed in the urinary microbiota across the different cycle phases.
Conclusions: This study demonstrate estrogenic influence on the abundance of vaginal microbiota in healthy female dogs, with no discernible influence on urinary microbiota. Additionally, it provides a comparative basis for understanding the urinary and vaginal microbiota in healthy female dogs.