Characterization of the urogenital microbiome in Miniature Schnauzers with and without calcium oxalate urolithiasis

Abstract Background Calcium oxalate (CaOx) uroliths are common in dogs. Humans with CaOx urolithiasis exhibit alterations of the urinary and urogenital microbiomes that might mediate urolith formation. Detection of urogenital microbes associated with CaOx in dogs could inform disease pathophysiology. Objective To identify compositional differences in the urogenital microbiome of Miniature Schnauzers with and without CaOx uroliths. Animals Nineteen midstream, voided urine samples from Miniature Schnauzers with (n = 9) and without (n = 10) a history of CaOx urolithiasis. Methods Analytical cross‐sectional study. Microbial DNA was extracted from previously frozen urine samples and sequenced for the bacterial 16S rRNA V3‐V4 hypervariable regions. Diversity and composition of microbial populations were compared between urolith formers and controls. Results Alpha and beta diversity measures were similar between groups. Five individual bacterial taxa differed in abundance (indicator values >0.5 and P