What is the relationship between the percent of primary bile acids in the feces of CIE dogs and the fecal dysbiosis index?

• A. Positive correlation
• B. Negative correlation
• C. No correlation
• D. Inverse correlation

Answer: (A)

In canine inflammatory gut disease, the gut microbiota that normally convert primary bile acids into secondary bile acids is disrupted. This reduction in bile acid–metabolizing bacteria means less transformation of primary to secondary bile acids, so more primary bile acids are excreted in the feces. As the fecal dysbiosis index increases, indicating more severe dysbiosis, the percentage of primary bile acids in the feces rises as well. That direct, upward trend reflects a positive correlation. The notion of a negative or no correlation doesn’t fit the mechanistic link between dysbiosis and impaired bile acid transformation.