Bacteria’s Best Friend: Factors that Contribute to Oral Microbiome Change in the Domesticated Dog and its Effects on Human Relationships
Open Access
Author:
Stroupe, Lauren
Area of Honors:
Anthropology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Douglas Bird, Thesis Honors Advisor Laura S Weyrich, Thesis Supervisor
Keywords:
Dog Oral Microbiome Human Oral Microbiome Dog Domestication Human and Dog Behavior Human and Dog Relationships
Abstract:
Dogs are an integral part of modern society and of the past. Our society values dogs in many ways, from service, hunting, farming and family pets. While humans and dogs are not genetically close, they share a unique history of proximity. Archaeological and molecular data has shown evidence of cohabitation for thousands of years. This relationship has impacted the health of dogs and humans. Bacteria can help understand the impacts of this relationship. Recent research on the microbiome – the diverse communities of bacteria, viruses, and eukaryotes – has furthered our understanding of relationships between humans and dogs. However, the oral microbiome in dogs has been understudied. This relationship warrants more research on the anthropological relationship of dog and human oral microbiota. While there are differences in the oral microbiome of dogs and humans, dogs share an environment and history with humans and therefore can be a relevant proxy on human relationships. This paper will explore the current literature of human and dog oral microbiomes. I present and test hypotheses based on the possible factors contributing to changes in the dog oral microbiome and how those factors can be seen in the human oral microbiome. The results from these hypotheses are that only dog age contributed to a statistical significance of oral bacterial composition difference in the dog sample. Park frequency, sex and other pets in failed to reject the null hypotheses. Future research considerations will be presented to further understand the oral microbiota of dogs and its impact on humans.
