Five-Minute Paper: Do Cats Have a Biliary Microbiome?
NC State researchers probe the feline gallbladder for hidden bacteria
Dear Readers: This is a new post type I am debuting where I break down a single research paper into a digestible synopsis that could be read in just a few minutes. Leave a comment or shoot me an email to let me know what you think about this format! —Eric
The Study:
What is this study about?
The researchers aimed to investigate any differences in the bacterial populations of bile between healthy cats and those with hepatobiliary disease. This is an important research question because bacteria are thought to be the cause of neutrophilic cholangitis, the most common type of this disease in cats, yet there is concern traditional tests like culture may miss some infections.
Who did the research?
This was a collaborative effort by veterinarians at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) College of Veterinary Medicine as well as microbiome researchers at the NC State Department of Molecula…
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