Allergies are more common among both humans and dogs in urban environments, and a recent study explored whether this trend reflects shared microbial exposure. Researchers analyzed 168 dog–owner pairs to examine skin and gut microbiota, allergic traits, and environmental influences.
The findings confirmed that both dogs and humans were more likely to show signs of allergy when living in urban areas compared to rural settings. Importantly, the skin microbiota—but not the gut microbiota—of dogs and their owners showed overlap, suggesting that close contact and shared environmental exposure affect microbial communities on the skin.
Urban living was found to homogenize skin microbiota across species. However, the specific bacterial taxa associated with allergic symptoms differed between dogs and humans, indicating that even shared exposures may lead to distinct immune responses across species. These results imply that other factors beyond microbial composition, such as skin physiology or immune system differences, may drive allergic responses.
This study adds evidence to the idea that dogs and humans may be affected by similar environmental risk factors and that living conditions and lifestyle choices can influence health outcomes in both species through their impact on microbial ecosystems.
Source: J. Lehtimäki, H. Sinkko, A. Hielm-Björkman, T. Laatikainen, L. Ruokolainen, H. Lohi, Scientific Reports, December 1, 2020.
