Gastrointestinal microbiota and fecal fatty acids of cats with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to identify differences in fecal analytes (ie, microbiota, fatty acids [FAs]) in cats with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) compared with healthy controls, and describe clinical signs at baseline and short-term follow-up.MethodsA cross-sectional, observational study was conducted of 55 client-owned cats with EPI and 37 healthy client-owned blood donor control cats. Eligible cases had a feline trypsin-like immunoreactivity (fTLI) consistent with EPI. Fecal samples were analyzed for fecal microbiota dysbiosis index (DI) and FAs. Serum and fecal analytes from controls were compared with EPI cats using parametric and non-parametric methods including general linear models to adjust for potential confounding by signalment differences. Clinical signs were described for cats with EPI at enrollment and for one short-term follow-up time point.ResultsFecal DI and FAs were abnormal in EPI cases compared with controls. Cats with EPI had a higher median DI (1.5 [range -2.6 to 3.8]), total FAs (74.1 µg/g [range 4.7-162]), arachidonic acid (2.54 µg/g [range 0.03-17.0]) and nervonic acid (0.37 µg/g [range 0.02-1.5]) than controls (-3 [range -4.4 to -0.6], 19.7 µg/g [range 9.4-75.2], 0.57 µg/g [range 0.32-1.51] and 0.17 µg/g [range 0.09-0.54], respectively), and a lower median Peptacetobacter hiranonis (4.8 log DNA [range 0.1-6.1]) compared with controls (5.9 log DNA [range 3.2-6.8]). The most common clinical signs were weight loss and appetite disturbances.Conclusions and relevanceCats with EPI have alterations in fecal microbiota and FA, and clinical signs in this population of cats were similar to those previously reported.