2017 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

These findings identify EPEC as a prevalent infection in kittens and implicate EPEC as a significant primary or contributing cause of intestinal inflammation, dehydration, and diarrhea-associated mortality in kittens. A high prevalence of EPEC in healthy kittens and children complicates interpretation of EPEC infection in patients with diarrhea. Future efforts to identify mechanisms responsible for susceptibility to EPEC-induced diarrhea will lead to advanced understanding of EPEC pathogenesis in kittens and children. The gut microbiota is important in maintaining intestinal health. Bile acids are increasingly appreciated to play a role in regulation of gut microbial composition and intestinal health. Bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol, conjugated in the liver, and once secreted into the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), undergo modification by certain members of the intestinal microbiota. Numerous bile acid receptors (e.g., farnesoid X receptor and G proteincoupled membrane receptor) have been identified along the GIT and are responsible for regulating metabolism and maintaining an anti-inflammatory environment in the gut. The aim of this study was to develop and analytically validate a gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (GC/MS) assay for the identification and quantification of bile acids in canine feces.