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A mysterious respiratory illness affecting dogs in the US might be linked to an unconventional bacterium, according to a report.
Numerous dogs throughout the country have fallen prey to an enigmatic respiratory ailment. Some dogs have succumbed to the illness, marked by persistent coughs lasting weeks, accompanied by runny eyes and sneezing.
Researchers from the University of New Hampshire in the UK suspect a bacterial infection that adeptly evades the canine immune system could be the cause, as per NBC News.
Through genetic sequencing of samples from an initial batch of 30 infected dogs from New Hampshire last year, followed by 40 more from Rhode Island and Massachusetts this year, the team pinpointed the pathogen.
Described as “a peculiar bacterium,” David Needle, the pathology section chief at the University of New Hampshire’s College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, emphasized its diminutive size compared to a typical bacterium, both in physical dimensions and genome size. Summing it up, it’s an unusual bacterium that poses challenges in detection and sequencing.
Needle highlighted, “It’s a new potential cause of disease, likely originating or evolving from a component of the dog microbiome.”
Just like humans, dogs harbor various benign bacteria and microorganisms internally and externally. These microbes, believed to aid in digestion in the gut, form a part of their microbiome. Initial sequencing revealed the absence of known viral, bacterial, or fungal pathogens.
However, Needle pointed out that “21 out of the initial 30 samples from New Hampshire contained genetic material from an unconventional bacterial species.”
The research team aims to share its findings preemptively before publishing a research article, hoping to equip veterinarians with valuable insights for managing similar respiratory syndrome outbreaks, the report mentioned.
