Monitoring tools and diagnostic methods
AssigneeMars, Incorporated
InventorsZoe V. MARSHALL-JONES, Ruth STAUNTON, Richard HAYDOCK, Ciaran O'FLYNN, Phillip WATSON
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods for assessing a feline's microbiome health are provided. The methods include, inter alia, determining the health of a feline's microbiome comprising quantitation four or more bacterial species and determining the relative abundance of the four or more bacterial species by comparing the abundance with a control data set, wherein an increase or decrease in the abundance can be indicative of an unhealthy microbiome.
Claims22
A method of determining the health of a feline's microbiome, comprising quantitating four or more bacterial species in a sample obtained from the feline to determine their relative abundance;
- and comparing the relative abundance to the relative abundance of the same species in a control data set;
- wherein an increase or decrease in the abundance of the four or more bacterial species relative to the control data set is indicative of an unhealthy microbiome.
A method of determining the health of a feline's microbiome, comprising calculating the diversity index for the species within the feline's microbiome and comparing the diversity index to the diversity index of a control data set.
(canceled)
A method of monitoring the microbiome health in a feline who has undergone a diet change and/or has received a supplement or functional food or a pharmaceutical or nutraceutical composition which is able to change the microbiome composition, comprising determining the health of the microbiome by quantitating four or more bacterial species in a sample obtained from the feline to determine their relative abundance;
- and comparing the relative abundance to the relative abundance of the same species in a control data set wherein an increase or decrease in the abundance of the four or more bacterial species relative to the control data set is indicative of an unhealthy microbiome.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.