Inflammation and wound healing in cats with chronic gingivitis/stomatitis after extraction of all premolars and molars were not affected by feeding of two diets with different omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios.

Feline chronic gingivitis/stomatitis (FCGS) is a painful inflammatory disease in cats. Extraction of teeth, including all premolars and molars, has been shown to be the therapy of choice in cats not responding sufficiently to home care (e.g. tooth brushing) and/or medical treatment (corticosteroids and/or antibiotics). In this study, we hypothesize that a cat food with an omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω6 PUFA) to ω3 PUFA ratio of 10:1 reduces inflammation of the FCGS and accelerates soft tissue wound healing of the gingiva after dental extractions, compared to a cat food with a ω6:ω3 PUFA ratio of 40:1. The cats were fed diets with chicken fat and fish oil as sources of fatty acids. In one diet, part of the fish oil was replaced by safflower oil, resulting in two diets with ω6:ω3 PUFA ratios of 10:1 and 40:1. This double-blinded study in two groups of seven cats revealed that dietary fatty acids influence the composition of plasma cholesteryl esters and plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines. The diet with the 10:1 ratio lowered PGD(2) , PGE(2) and LTB(4) plasma levels significantly, compared to the diet with the 40:1 ratio (p = 0.05, p = 0.04, and p = 0.02 respectively). However, feeding diets with dietary ω6:ω3 PUFA ratios of 10:1 and 40:1, given to cats with FCGS for 4 weeks after extraction of all premolars and molars, did not alter the degree of inflammation or wound healing.

Osteoclast progenitors from cats with and without tooth resorption respond differently to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and interleukin-6.

Both vitamin D and inflammatory cytokines can stimulate osteoclast formation and activity. We studied the effect of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)(2)D), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), on the formation and activity of feline osteoclasts, using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from cats with and without tooth resorption (TR(+) and TR(-)) as a source of osteoclast precursors. The formation of osteoclast-like cells (defined as multinucleated, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cells) was assessed at 7 and 14 days. In the presence of M-CSF and RANKL, with and without IL-6, more osteoclasts were formed from TR(-) PBMCs than from TR(+) PBMCs on plastic. More osteoclasts were formed from TR(+) PBMCs on bone slices in the presence of M-CSF/RANKL with 1,25(OH)(2)D. This opposite effect may be due to a higher expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in TR(+) osteoclasts and precursors on bone. Formation of resorption pits was analyzed and confirmed with scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, we propose that TR(+) PBMCs when cultured on bone are sensitive to 1,25(OH)(2)D, whereas the differentiation of TR(-) PMBCs on bone seem more sensitive to IL-6, suggesting that osteoclast precursors from cats with and without tooth resorption respond differently to osteoclast stimulating factors.

Comparison of periodontal pathogens between cats and their owners.

The periodontal pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia are strongly associated with periodontal disease and are highly prevalent in humans with periodontitis. Porphyromonas and Tannerella spp. have also been isolated from the oral cavity of cats. The oral microflora in animals was compared with those in humans in earlier studies, but no studies are available on the comparison of the oral microflora from pets and their respective owners. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of these bacteria in the oral microflora of cats and their owners, since animal to human transmission, or vice versa, of oral pathogens could have public health implications. This study investigated the prevalence of Porphyromonas gulae, P. gingivalis, and T. forsythia in the oral microflora of cats and their owners, using culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). All Porphyromonas isolates from cats (n=64) were catalase positive, whereas the Porphyromonas isolates from owners (n=7) were catalase negative, suggesting that the isolates from cats were P. gulae whereas those from the owners were P. gingivalis. T. forsythia was recovered from both cats (n=63) and owners (n=31); the proportion of T. forsythia relative to the total CFU was higher in cats with periodontitis than in cats without periodontal disease. Genotyping of T. forsythia isolates (n=54) in six cat/owner couples showed that in one cat/owner couple the T. forsythia isolates (n=6) were identical. These T. forsythia isolates were all catalase positive, which led us to hypothesize that transmission from cats to owners had occurred and that cats may be a reservoir of T. forsythia.