Figure 1. In addition to differences in the composition of the microbiota along the gastrointestinal tract, each animal harbours a unique microbial profile (Suchodolski, 2016). Studies show that Bacteroides, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Enterobacteriaceae are the predominant bacterial groups cultured from canine and feline intestines, although the levels found vary between different studies.

The gastrointestinal microbiome – what do we know now and what will we learn next?

Until relatively recently, traditional bacterial culture was commonly used to identify bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract, but it is now recognised that the vast majority of intestinal...