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. 2021 Jan 6;17(1):8.
doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02710-y.

The vaginal microflora changes in various stages of the estrous cycle of healthy female dogs and the ones with genital tract infections

Edyta Golińska  1 , Natalia Sowińska  2   3 , Anna Tomusiak-Plebanek  1 , Marlena Szydło  4 , Natalia Witka  5 , Joanna Lenarczyk  6 , Magdalena Strus  7
Affiliations

The vaginal microflora changes in various stages of the estrous cycle of healthy female dogs and the ones with genital tract infections

Edyta Golińska et al. BMC Vet Res. .

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory diseases of reproductive tract in bitches are a common problem in veterinary practice. The inflammation can lead to serious health problems. Research to determine the correlation between the health status of females, phase of the cycle, age and bacterial flora of the genital tract has been ongoing for years, but the results obtained by individual authors are often contradictory.

Results: A total of 39 dogs were included in this study. Ten were qualified to the 1st group with genital tract infections (8 in anestrus and 2 in proestrus) and 29 to the 2nd group without such infections (16 in anestrus, 9 in proestrus and 4 in diestrus). The most common bacterial isolates obtained from the vaginal tract of all dogs were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Streptococcus canis. The prevalence of Gram-negative rods (other than E. coli) was significantly higher in the group with genital tract infections versus healthy dogs. There was no presence of Chlamydiaceae, Chlamydia abortus and lactic acid-producing bacteria in tested swabs.

Conclusions: Our study identified the most common bacteria in the genital tract of bitches. The total number of bacteria was almost the same in the healthy and infected dogs, as well as between the cycle stages. In our opinion, bacterial culturing of vaginal swab specimens from bitches without signs of genital disease is of little value. Furthermore, it should always be preceded by clinical examination and cytological examination of the vaginal epithelium.

Keywords: Bitch; Genital tract; Inflammation; Microflora; Probiotics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Vaginal bacterial populations of the dogs with genital tract infections compared to healthy dogs (*- p < 0.05)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Vaginal bacterial populations in various stages of the estrous cycle
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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