Description of the Otic Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota in Dogs with Otitis Externa Compared to Healthy Individuals
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Abstract
Otitis externa is a common multifactorial disease with an incidence in dogs as high as 10-20%. The diversity of the cutaneous microbiota in dogs appears to decrease in diseased states. However, little is known about the microbiota of the canine ear and how it is altered by disease. The objective of this study was to compare the otic bacterial and fungal microbiota in dogs with otitis externa versus controls. Samples were collected from 30 dogs with clinical and cytological evidence of otitis externa and ten clinically normal dogs. DNA from each sample was isolated and Illumina sequencing of V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene and the ITS region amplicons was performed. Sequences were processed using the bioinformatics software MOTHUR. The otic microbiota is much more complex than has been identified with previous culture-based studies, and otitis externa is accompanied by broad and complex differences in the microbiota.