2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

A total of 93 animals (78 dogs and 15 cats) met the inclusion criteria for this study. There was no evidence that hyperlactatemia (P = 0.38) or hyperglycemia (P = 0.69) were associated with mortality. The MGCS Score at initial evaluation was the only variable significantly associated with outcome (P = 0.011). Dogs and cats with head trauma may have elevated serum lactate levels, but the degree of hyperlactatemia is not associated with severity of head trauma or with outcome. Recent experiments in laboratory rodents have suggested that the constituents of the fecal microbiome influence the activity of the immune system. Specifically, it has been shown that gnotobiotic rats are resistant to development of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), an immune-mediated disease of the CNS that mimics aspects of multiple sclerosis in humans and meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin (MUO) in dogs. Further experiments have shown that restoration of a normal microbiome abrogates this resistance to EAE.