Ctrl-X, Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V in Veterinary Dermatology: Skin microbiota transplantation as a promising approach for dogs with cutaneous adverse food reactions

The probability of influencing the skin microbiome for addressing skin disorders opens a novel aisle of therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of skin microbiota transplantation (sMt) for cutaneous adverse food reactions (caFr) in dogs. Ten client-owned dogs with caFr were included in the study. Unenriched heterologous sMt was performed using Nivea Skin Refining Clear-Up Strips (N-cUs). The bacterial microbiota of skin samples was analysed by next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Other relevant biomarkers were involved in VAS (visual analogue scale of pruritus score), CADESI-04 (canine atopic dermatitis extent and severity index) and epidermal corneometric analysis. Increased Faecalibacterium (0 to 1.9 %), Peptoclostridium (5.49 % to 9.11 %) and Collinsella (0.65 % to 8.91 %), and decreased Fusobacterium (19.16 % to 9.06 %), Porphyromona (8.75 % to 0.13 %), Streptococcus (1.63 % to 0.14 %) and Staphylococcus (1.09 % to 0.49 %) was evidenced before and after sMt, respectively. Treatment with sMt effectively controlled clinical signs and drastically reduced median VAS pruritus (6.5 vs. 2) and CADESI-04 scores (74.50±22.62 to 19.30±11.30) (p<0,001). In addition, skin pH and hydration values were improved (p<0,001) after sMt. The heterologous and unenriched sMt with N-cUs could be responsible for the clinical recovery observed in this study.