Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42801332›Full record

ArticleJournal of veterinary internal medicine2026

Effect of low dose azithromycin on the fecal microbiome and fecal bile acids in healthy dogs.

Colin Smith, Roman Husnik, Frederic Gaschen, Claudia Kirk, Xiaojuan Zhu, Jan Suchodolski

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Colin SmithDepartment of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3105-125X
Roman HusnikDepartment of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-1646-2421
Frederic GaschenDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1872-0079
Claudia KirkDepartment of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4157-6607
Xiaojuan ZhuResearch Computing Support, Office of Innovative Technologies, University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2594-8968
Jan SuchodolskiGastrointestinal Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4474, United States.

Funding

Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences of the University of Tennessee
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAzithromycin has prokinetic effects at low doses in people, cats, and anecdotally, in dogs; however, antibiotics alter the fecal microbiome and metabolome. HYPOTHESIS/

objectivesTo prospectively evaluate the effects of low-dose azithromycin, hypothesizing that it would alter the fecal microbiome and fecal bile acids in healthy dogs. ANIMALS: Eleven healthy research dogs.

methodsProspective study. Dogs received azithromycin (2 mg/kg PO q8h) for 8 days. Fecal samples were collected before (day 1), during (day 6), and after azithromycin administration (days 11, 26, 36, 45). Fecal consistency was assessed daily. Microbiome analysis included qPCR quantification of 16 core bacterial taxa and the Dysbiosis Index. Fecal concentrations of conjugated and unconjugated bile acids (UBAs) were measured on days 1, 11, and 45.

resultsFecal scores increased during azithromycin administration (P = .009). Abundance of 7 of 16 taxa decreased significantly on day 6, including Peptacetobacter hiranonis (P. hiranonis; P < .001), Faecalibacterium (P < .001), and Fusobacterium (P = .031). Abundance of Streptococcus significantly decreased on day 11 (P = .003). Percentage of primary UBAs increased (P = .017; median, 94.06%; range, 0.73%-96.08%), returned to baseline by day 45, and negatively correlated with abundance of P. hiranonis (r = -0.936 [95% CI, -0.973, -0.852], P < .001). Abundance of 8 of 9 significantly altered taxa recovered, with abundance of Streptococcus remaining decreased. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Low-dose azithromycin induces a mostly reversible dysbiosis and reversible decrease in secondary fecal UBAs. Atypical decreases in Streptococcus abundance can also occur.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinBile Acids and SaltsFecesGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMicrobiotaAnimalsDogsFemaleMaleProspective StudiesAnti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinBile Acids and SaltsdysbiosismetabolomemotilityPeptacetobacter hiranonisprokinetics

Identifiers

PMID42801332
PMCPMC13616115

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.