Identification ofOxalobacter formigenesin the faeces of healthy cats

Microbiota Diversification and Crash Induced by Dietary Oxalate in the Mammalian Herbivore Neotoma albigula

The bacteria associated with mammalian hosts exhibit extensive interactions with overall host physiology and contribute significantly to the health of the host. Bacteria are vital to the mitigation of the toxic effects of oxalate specifically as mammals do not possess the enzymes to degrade this compound, which is present in the majority of kidney stones. Contrary to the body of literature on a few oxalate-degrading specialists, our work illustrates that oxalate stimulates a broad but cohesive microbial network in a dose-dependent manner. The unique characteristics of the N. albigula microbiota make it an excellent source for the development of bacteriotherapies to inhibit kidney stone formation. Furthermore, this work successfully demonstrates methods to identify microbial networks responsive to specific toxins, their limits, and important elements such as microbial network cohesivity and architecture. These are necessary steps in the development of targeted bacteriotherapies.

Oxalate, broadly found in both dietary and endogenous sources, is a primary constituent in 80% of kidney stones, an affliction that has tripled in prevalence over the last 40 years. Oxalate-degrading bacteria within the gut microbiota can mitigate the effects of oxalate and are negatively correlated with kidney stone formation, but bacteriotherapies involving oxalate-degrading bacteria have met with mixed results. To inform the development of more effective and consistent bacteriotherapies, we sought to quantify the interactions and limits between oxalate and an oxalate-adapted microbiota from the wild mammalian herbivore Neotoma albigula (woodrat), which consumes a high-oxalate diet in the wild. We tracked the microbiota over a variable-oxalate diet ranging from 0.2% to 12%, with the upper limit approximating 10× the level of human consumption. The N. albigula microbiota was capable of degrading ~100% of dietary oxalate regardless of the amount consumed. However, the microbiota exhibited significant changes in diversity dynamically at the operational taxonomic unit (OTU), family, and community levels in accordance with oxalate input. Furthermore, a cohesive microbial network was stimulated by the consumption of oxalate and exhibited some resistance to the effects of prolonged exposure. This study demonstrates that the oxalate-adapted microbiota of N. albigula exhibits a very high level of degradation and tolerance for oxalate.

IMPORTANCE The bacteria associated with mammalian hosts exhibit extensive interactions with overall host physiology and contribute significantly to the health of the host. Bacteria are vital to the mitigation of the toxic effects of oxalate specifically as mammals do not possess the enzymes to degrade this compound, which is present in the majority of kidney stones. Contrary to the body of literature on a few oxalate-degrading specialists, our work illustrates that oxalate stimulates a broad but cohesive microbial network in a dose-dependent manner. The unique characteristics of the N. albigula microbiota make it an excellent source for the development of bacteriotherapies to inhibit kidney stone formation. Furthermore, this work successfully demonstrates methods to identify microbial networks responsive to specific toxins, their limits, and important elements such as microbial network cohesivity and architecture. These are necessary steps in the development of targeted bacteriotherapies.

The effect of dietary hydroxyproline and dietary oxalate on urinary oxalate excretion in cats

In humans and rodents, dietary hydroxyproline (hyp) and oxalate intake affect urinary oxalate (Uox) excretion. Whether Uox excretion occurs in cats was tested by feeding diets containing low oxalate (13 mg/100 g DM) with high (Hhyp-Lox), moderate (Mhyp-Lox), and low hyp (Lhyp-Lox) concentrations (3.8, 2.0, and 0.2 g/100 g DM, respectively) and low hyp with high oxalate (93 mg/100 g DM; Lhyp-Hox) to 8 adult female cats in a 48-d study using a Latin square design. Cats were randomly allocated to one of the four 12-d treatment periods and fed according to individual energy needs. Feces and urine were collected quantitatively using modified litter boxes during the final 5 d of each period. Feces were analyzed for oxalate and Ca, and urine was analyzed for specific density, pH, oxalate, Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, ammonia, citrate, urate, sulfate, and creatinine. Increasing hyp intake (0.2, 2.0, and 3.8 g/100 g DM) resulted in increased Uox excretion (Lhyp-Lox vs. Mhyp-Lox vs. Hhyp-Lox; P < 0.05), and the linear dose-response equation was Uox (mg/d) = 5.62 + 2.10 × g hyp intake/d (r(2) = 0.56; P < 0.001). Increasing oxalate intake from 13 to 93 mg/100 g DM did not affect Uox excretion but resulted in an increase in fecal oxalate output (P < 0.001) and positive oxalate balance (32.20 ± 2.06 mg/d). The results indicate that the intestinal absorption of the supplemental oxalate, and thereby its contribution to Uox, was low (5.90% ± 5.24%). Relevant increases in endogenous Uox excretion were achieved by increasing dietary hyp intake. The hyp-containing protein sources should be minimized in Ca oxalate urolith preventative diets until their effect on Uox excretion is tested. The oxalate content (up to 93 mg/100 g DM) in a diet with moderate Ca content does not contribute to Uox content.

Companion Animals Symposium: dietary management of feline lower urinary tract symptoms

Experimental and clinical investigations have confirmed the importance of dietary modifications in medical protocols designed to treat and prevent feline lower urinary tract signs (LUTS). The objective of this review is to discuss common medical conditions contributing to feline LUTS and to present currently used and potential preventative dietary modifications. Feline LUTS are a set of clinical conditions with similar symptoms related to inappropriate urine elimination due to a combination of genetics, stress and frustration reactions, environment, and medical condition or conditions, for example, idiopathic cystitis, urolithiasis, urethral obstruction, and urinary tract infection. The main goals of dietary modifications to prevent LUTS are 1) promote large dilute volumes of urine, 2) decrease the relative supersaturation of urine for specific stone types, and 3) promote healthy bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts. The impact of dietary composition, including dietary moisture, protein concentration and digestibility, mineral concentrations (i.e., Na, Cl, Ca, P, and Mg), inclusion of acidifiers and alkalinizing agents, inclusion of vitamin B6, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and γ-linolenic acid, fiber concentration and characteristics, and oxalate degrading probiotics, on these outcomes is discussed, and dietary guidelines for cats are provided. Because of the complex interaction of diet composition, environment, and animal physiology, there is a need for clinical research linking current recommendations or dietary options for the treatment and prevention of LUTS with physiological outcomes (i.e., decreased relative supersaturation and LUTS recurrence). Additionally, for many recommendations (e.g., probiotic administration, EPA, DHA), extrapolation from other species was necessary. Research is needed in feline patients with LUTS on these dietary components.

Influence of nutrition on feline calcium oxalate urolithiasis with emphasis on endogenous oxalate synthesis

The prevalence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths detected in cats with lower urinary tract disease has shown a sharp increase over the last decades with a concomitant reciprocal decrease in the occurrence of struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) uroliths. CaOx stone-preventative diets are available nowadays, but seem to be marginally effective, as CaOx urolith recurrence occurs in patients fed these diets. In order to improve the preventative measures against CaOx urolithiasis, it is important to understand its aetiopathogenesis. The main research focus in CaOx formation in cats has been on the role of Ca, whereas little research effort has been directed towards the role and origin of urinary oxalates. As in man, the exogenous origin of urinary oxalates in cats is thought to be of minor importance, although the precise contribution of dietary oxalates remains unclear. The generally accepted dietary risk factors for CaOx urolithiasis in cats are discussed and a model for the biosynthetic pathways of oxalate in feline liver is provided. Alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase 1 (AGT1) in endogenous oxalate metabolism is a liver-specific enzyme targeted in the mitochondria in cats, and allows for efficient conversion of glyoxylate to glycine when fed a carnivorous diet. The low peroxisomal activity of AGT1 in cat liver is compatible with the view that felids utilised a low-carbohydrate diet throughout evolution. Future research should focus on understanding de novo biosynthesis of oxalate in cats and their adaptation(s) in oxalate metabolism, and on dietary oxalate intake and absorption by cats.