The effects of omeprazole therapy on bacterial colonization of the pharynx in healthy dogs.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To identify the relative abundance of commensal pharyngeal flora in healthy dogs and determine if abundance of pharyngeal flora is altered during omeprazole administration. ANIMALS Eight adult Beagles. PROCEDURES A total of 3 baseline pharyngeal swabs, collected 48 hours apart, were obtained from each dog. Omeprazole (1 mg/kg PO q 24 h) was administered for a total of 12 days. During omeprazole administration, pharyngeal swabs were obtained on Days 8, 10, and 12. All swabs were submitted for semiquantitative aerobic and anaerobic culture. Growth of bacterial isolates, as well as genus of isolates, was compared between the pretreatment (n = 24) and treatment (n = 24) swabs. RESULTS: A greater abundance of several bacterial species was identified during the treatment period, including coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (P < 0.01), Bacillus (P < 0.01), and Pasteurella (P = 0.05). The abundance of bacterial species in samples collected during the treatment period was unchanged for Escherichia coli (P = 0.16), Provotella (P = 0.40), hemolytic Streptococcus (P = 0.34), and nonhemolytic Streptococcus (P = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE This small study indicates that shifts in canine pharyngeal flora may occur during omeprazole therapy. Further studies are warranted to determine the clinical significance of gastric acid suppressants on pharyngeal flora in dogs.