Acta Vet. Brno 2025, 94: 181-186
Prevalence of Capnocytophaga canimorsus in dogs in relation to the severity of periodontal disease
Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacterium found in the oral cavity of dogs, with a well-documented zoonotic potential. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of C. canimorsus in dogs at different stages of periodontal disease. This was designed as a prospective clinical study. A total of 84 dogs were enrolled and classified into three groups based on clinical examination and the most severely affected tooth according to the stage of periodontitis: dogs with healthy periodontal status, dogs with mild periodontal disease (PD1 and PD2), and dogs with moderate-to-advanced periodontal disease (PD3 and PD4). The presence of C. canimorsus was detected using rtPCR from oral swab samples. Chi-squared test (P < 0.05) was used to assess differences in the frequency of C. canimorsus-positive cases between groups. The overall prevalence of C. canimorsus among the examined dogs was 71%. A significantly higher occurrence of C. canimorsus was observed in group of dogs with PD1 and PD2 compared to group with a healthy periodontium (P = 0.0452) and those with PD3 and PD4 (P = 0.0318). No significant differences were found between dogs with healthy periodontal status and those with PD3 and PD4. These findings suggest that C. canimorsus may play an important role in the early stages of periodontal disease pathogenesis, or alternatively, its presence may reflect natural shifts in microbial composition across different stages of periodontitis. Further studies are warranted to clarify its exact role in disease progression.
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Funding
This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic (Research Project IGA VETUNI No. 104/2022/FVL). This study presents a part of a dissertation that will be submitted by MVDr. Šabatová to the University of Veterinary Sciences Brno in the fulfilment of her Doctoral degree in Veterinary Medicine.
