Author : Agus Wijaya

Summary : This study determined the types of aerobic bacteria present in the vagina of 51 dogs. In study I (longitudinal study), the aerobic bacteria from normal and abnormal postpuberal dogs were compared. Vaginal swab specimens from six apparently normal postpuberal dogs yielded 19 bacterial types while 15 bacterial types were obtained from four apparently abnormal postpuberal dogs. Of these, 12 bacterial types were common to both dogs. These included coagulase negative Staphylococci, coagulase positive Staphylococci, E.coli, Neisseria sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae, Klebsiella sp., Proteus mirabilis, sp., Bacillus sp., Pasteurella multocida, Acinetobacter caloaceticus subsp., Iwoffii, Alcaligenes fecalis, Pseudomonas sp. No general pattern was observed with regard to correlating the occurence of bacterial types with the stage of the estrous cycle. In study 11 (cross-sectional study), vaginal swab samples were cultured to compare the aerobic bacterial types present from 23 normal postpuberal dogs (>6 months of age) and 7 abnormal postpuberal dogs (>6 months of age). Bacteria isolated from the vagina of normal and abnormal postpuberal dogs in diestrus (metestrus) and anestrus were also compared. The bacterial profile found common in the vagina of normal and abnormal postpuberal dogs was composed of coagulase negative Staphylicocci, coagulase positive Staphylococci, E. coli, E. coli (inactive), Neisseria sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae, and Proteus sp. In study II, bacterial types present in the vagina of the normal and prepuberal and postpuberal dogs were also compared. Bacterial types found in normal prepuberal dogs were isolated from normal postpuberal dogs, except Enterobacter aerogens, Citrobacter freundii, and Aeromonas hydrophila. Results of the study showed that aerobic bacterial flora of the vagina of female dogs consist of common opportunistic pathogens.