Influence of Breed Size, Age, Fecal Quality, and Enteropathogen Shedding on Fecal Calprotectin and Immunoglobulin A Concentrations in Puppies During the Weaning Period

Grellet, A.; Heilmann, R.M.; Polack, B.; Feugier, A.; Boucraut-Baralon, C.; Grandjean, D.; Grützner, N.; Suchodolski, J. S.; Steiner, J.M.; Chastant-Maillard, S.

Our study indicates that fecal calprotectin and IgA are of no diagnostic value to detect the presence of an enteropathogen in clinically healthy puppies or puppies with abnormal feces. However, these markers might be useful to better understand the maturation of the digestive tract, the development of systemic and local immunity, and the establishment and stabilization of the gut microbiota. The development of noninvasive fecal biomarkers that may prove to be useful to evaluate gastrointestinal health in puppies remains a challenge. Box-and-whisker plots of fecal IgA concentrations in 254 puppies. Each box represents the first to the third quartiles (25th to 75th percentiles), the bar in each box represents the median, and the whiskers represent the first to ninth decile (10th-90th percentiles). Values with different letters (a,b) differ significantly (P = .01).