Exploring dog-owner microbiota and bacterial pathogens in Southeast Asia
- 1Universite de Liege
Abstract
Domestic dogs may influence human microbiota and act as reservoirs or sentinels for zoonotic bacteria, yet little is known about these dynamics in Southeast Asia. Using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing from rectal swabs, we analyzed microbiota from dog-owner pairs from four villages of rural Thailand (Nan province) to assess microbial diversity, shared taxa, and zoonotic potential. Dogs exhibited higher microbial and putative pathogen diversity than humans, particularly during the rainy season. While dog-owner pairs shared more bacteria than unrelated individuals, overall overlap remained limited - likely driven by their dogs free-roaming lifestyles and broader environmental exposures. However, co-occurrence of putative zoonotic pathogens such as Shigella spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae suggests dogs could serve as useful indicators for specific public health risks, with further targeted pathogen screening needed to validate these results. Our findings highlight the value of integrating dogs into zoonotic surveillance programs, particularly in regions with free-ranging dog populations and close human-animal contact.
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BibTeX
@misc{leeuwen2026exploring,
title = {{Exploring dog-owner microbiota and bacterial pathogens in Southeast Asia}},
author = {P. Van Leeuwen and A. Kritiyakan and S. Morand and A. Kriengudom and A. Nicolas and M. De Garine-Wichatitsky and J. Michaux},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.07.757238},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757238v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Exploring dog-owner microbiota and bacterial pathogens in Southeast Asia
AU - P. Van Leeuwen
AU - A. Kritiyakan
AU - S. Morand
AU - A. Kriengudom
AU - A. Nicolas
AU - M. De Garine-Wichatitsky
AU - J. Michaux
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.07.757238
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.757238v1
AB - Domestic dogs may influence human microbiota and act as reservoirs or sentinels for zoonotic bacteria, yet little is known about these dynamics in Southeast Asia. Using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing from rectal swabs, we analyzed microbiota from dog-owner pairs from four villages of rural Thailand (Nan province) to assess microbial diversity, shared taxa, and zoonotic potential. Dogs exhibited higher microbial and putative pathogen diversity than humans, particularly during the rainy season. While dog-owner pairs shared more bacteria than unrelated individuals, overall overlap remained limited - likely driven by their dogs free-roaming lifestyles and broader environmental exposures. However, co-occurrence of putative zoonotic pathogens such as Shigella spp. and Klebsiella pneumoniae suggests dogs could serve as useful indicators for specific public health risks, with further targeted pathogen screening needed to validate these results. Our findings highlight the value of integrating dogs into zoonotic surveillance programs, particularly in regions with free-ranging dog populations and close human-animal contact.
ER -