Dott.ssa Angela Del Carro
- SCIENZE VETERINARIE PER LA SALUTE ANIMALE E LA SICUREZZA ALIMENTARE
- Phd: 35th cycle
- Dottorato in Scienze Veterinarie per la Salute Animale e la Sicurezza Alimentare
- Matriculation number: 737068
- ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0003-4470-0826

Phd thesis
Relation between the puppy microbiome and the dam’s microbial flora
This work in canine neonatology focuses on the seeding and development of the newborn intestinal microbiota and investigates the role that the dam plays in it.
The assembly of the neonatal microbiota is determined by maternal-offspring exchanges of microorganisms and the first colonizers have a fundamental role in the development of the immune system and in future health.
This research topic is not yet largely investigated in dogs, and we approached it using two methods to detect bacteria, culture and genomic analysis.
The animals included in the experiments were dams and litters of two breeds (Lagotto Romagnolo and Appenzeller Cattle Dog), all housed in the same breeding kennel and fed with the same commercial food.
Swabs were used to gather samples for bacteriological and genomic analyses from different sites (rectal for puppies; vaginal, mammary, and rectal for dams) and times (day 0, 2, 30 and 60).
Both methods demonstrated the presence of an intestinal microbiota in puppies immediately after birth and that its composition varies significantly in a short period of time; additionally, the dam has a characterizing effect on the microbiota of her puppies from the birth until around-weaning.
Additional research from the PhD is included in this project. The first study investigated the effects of differing proteins in the diet of pregnant bitches on the puppies by analysing the weights that the breeder had recorded. The second study assessed the prevalence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics and concentrated on the improper use of antibiotics in breeding kennels.
Research activities
Publications
Meconium microbiota in naturally delivered canine puppies
Bertero A, Banchi P, Del Carro A, Corrò M, Colitti B, Van Soom A, Bertolotti L, Rota A.
BMC Vet Res. 2024 Aug 12;20(1):363
Birth weight, puppies' growth and health with limited-ingredient novel protein diet vs standard diet in late pregnancy
Bertero A., Del Carro A.,Del Carro A.P., Pagani E., Rota A.
Theriogenology. 2023 Nov:211:191-197
The evolution of dam-litter microbial flora from birth to 60 days of age.
Del Carro A, Corrò M, Bertero A, Colitti B, Banchi P, Bertolotti L, Rota A.
BMC Vet Res. 2022 Mar 11;18(1):95
Does Bacteria Colonization of Canine Newborns Start in the Uterus?
Rota A, Del Carro A, Bertero A, Del Carro A, Starvaggi Cucuzza A, Banchi P, Corrò M.
Animals (Basel). 2021 May 14;11(5):1415.
Oral communication
Recurrence of congenital malformations in Bernese Mountain Dogs
A. Del Carro , C. Mancinelli , A.P. Del Carro, A. Bertero, A. Rota
Oral presentation- 77° CONVEGNO SISVET - Parma, 12.06.2024 (atti pg:288)
Maternal shaping of puppies' faecal microbiota
A. Del Carro; A. Bertero; B. Colitti; L. Bertolotti; A. Rota
Oral presentation- 76° CONVEGNO SISVET - Bari, 22.06.2023 (atti pg:321)
Abstract accepted
Recurrence of congenital malformations in Bernese Mountain Dogs
A. Del Carro , C. Mancinelli , A.P. Del Carro, A. Bertero, A. Rota
EVSSAR congress, Barcelona 2024
Maternal shaping of puppies' faecal microbiota
A. Del Carro; A. Bertero; B. Colitti; L. Bertolotti; A. Rota
Reprod Dom Anim 2023; 58 (Suppl. 2):278.
Puppy meconium microbiome in relation with vaginal and faecal dam microbiome
A. Rota; A. Del Carro; A. Bertero; B. Colitti; L. Bertolotti
Reprod Dom Anim 2023; 58 (Suppl. 2):278.
Maternal elements in meconium bacteria flora of naturally delivered puppies of two dog breeds
Angela Del Carro; M. Corrò; E. Spagnolo; E. Bertero; P. Banchi;A. P. Del Carro; A. Rota
Reprod Dom Anim 2022; 57 (Suppl. 2):15-16
Omphalocele in a newborn puppy: Treatment and post-mortem investigations
Angela Del Carro; M. Corrò; A. P. Del Carro; A. Nicoletti; A. Rota
Reprod Dom Anim 2022; 57 (Suppl. 2):15
Microbiome studies in veterinary field: communities’ diversity measurements pitfall
Ala U.; Del Carro A.; Giacobini M.; Colitti B.; Rota A.; Bertolotti L.
Awards
Evssar Research Grant 2020 - "Puppy meconium microbiome in relation with vaginal and fecal dam microbiome."
Attended Congresses
77° SISVET- June 12th-14th 2024 (Parma, Italy)
1st European Symposium on Animal Reproduction, 21st – 23rd September 2023, Nantes, France
EVSSAR 23rd congress 1st-2nd October 2021(Milan, Italy)
EVSSAR 24th congress - June 30th - July 1st-2nd 2022