Shaping the human gut microbiota: The role of canine companionship, lifestyle choices, and Blastocystis sp.

ABSTRACT: External factors affecting composition of the human gut microbiota have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Among these factors, habitat sharing with other humans and companion animals, especially dogs, is considered crucial together with the presence of intestinal protists. The Czech Republic, known for one of the highest rates of dog ownership in Europe, provides an ideal setting for studying such relationships. Here, we investigated the impact of dog ownership and lifestyle factors (residing in cities versus villages) on the gut microbiota (specifically bacteriome). In addition, we also investigated the influence of the common gut protist Blastocystis sp. on the human gut microbiota. Fecal DNAs from 118 humans and 54 dogs were subject to 16S rRNA gene sequencing usi

SUBMITTER: Pavlickova Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11815985 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature