반려견에게 자연식이 더 위험한가? 반려견의 병원균 검출과 임상 결과에 대한 마이크로바이옴 평가

Is Raw Feeding More Hazardous for Dogs? A Microbiome-Based Evaluation of Pathogen Detection and Clinical Outcomes

With the growing number of pet owners adopting natural diets for their dogs, ongoing concerns have been raised regarding the potentially higher risk of pathogenic contamination associated with natural diets compared to commercial dry food. The potential contamination by foodborne pathogens such as salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter jejuni has been cited as the primary basis for these concerns. This perception arises from the challenges in maintaining strict hygiene control in natural diets and their use of uncooked ingredients, unlike commercial feeds. However, clear clinical evidence demonstrating that natural feeding increases the infection rate of specific pathogenic bacteria remains lacking. This study analyzed fecal microbiome data from 190 dogs using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to compare intestinal microbial composition between natural diet and kibble-fed groups. Major pathogenic bacteria were not detected in either group. In contrast, the relatively common anaerobic bacterium clostridium perfringens(C. perfringens) was the most frequently identified species, exhibiting a higher detection rate in the natural diet group (77.7%). While this elevated detection might reinforce perceptions of increased in fection risk with natural diets, C. perfringens presence showed no significant correlation with disease occurrence (p = 0.18), and disease prevalence was higher in the kibble-fed group. High levels of C. perfringens were also observed in some clinically healthy dogs, suggesting that mere presence alone may not indicate pathogenicity. Thus, this study challenges the oversimplified view that natural feeding is a major risk factor for pathogenic infection. By comparing gut microbial profiles, pathogen detection rates, and their associations with disease between diet groups, we provide scientific evidence to guide microbiome-based diagnostics and dietary choices in companion dogs.