Gut health in horses refers to the condition and functioning of the equine gastrointestinal system, which includes the stomach, small intestine, cecum, and colon. This system is responsible for the digestion and absorption of nutrients, as well as the maintenance of a balanced microbiome. The gut microbiome, consisting of a diverse community of microorganisms, plays a role in digestion, metabolism, and immune function. Factors such as diet, stress, medication, and environmental changes can impact gut health, potentially leading to issues like colic or laminitis. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomy, physiology, and microbial ecology of the equine gut, as well as the implications for overall horse health and management practices.
Reed KJ, Kunz IGZ, Scare JA, Nielsen MK, Turk PJ, Coleman RJ, Coleman SJ.As hindgut fermenters, horses are especially dependent on the microbiota residing in their cecum and large intestines. Interactions between these microbial populations and the horse are critical for maintaining gut homeostasis, which supports proper digestion. The current project was motivated to determine if any features of the fecal microbiota are informative of the microbial communities from the cecum, ventral colon, or dorsal colon. Digesta from the cecum, ventral colon, dorsal colon and feces were collected from 6 yearling miniature horses. Microbial DNA was isolated and the microbiota fr...
Sorensen RJ, Drouillard JS, Douthit TL, Ran Q, Marthaler DG, Kang Q, Vahl CI, Lattimer JM.The effect of hay type on the microbiome of the equine gastrointestinal tract is relatively unexplored. Our objective was to characterize the cecal and fecal microbiome of mature horses consuming alfalfa or Smooth Bromegrass (brome) hay. Six cecally cannulated horses were used in a split-plot design run as a crossover in two periods. The whole plot treatment was ad libitum access to brome or alfalfa hay fed over two 21-d acclimation periods with subplots of sampling location (cecum and rectum) and sampling hour. Each acclimation period was followed by a 24-h collection period where cecal and f...
Górniak W, Cholewińska P, Szeligowska N, Wołoszyńska M, Soroko M, Czyż K.Exercise significantly affects the body of both animals and humans, including the composition of the digestive microbiome. This study aimed to determine the changes in the composition of the most numerous bacterial phyla (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, as well as the level of the family) in the digestive system of horses under the influence of physical effort. The study included a group of 17 Thoroughbred racehorses at the age of 3 years, fed the same forage, from whom feces samples were collected individually before and 48 h after physical effort. The obtained samples were subjected to DNA is...
Tuniyazi M, He J, Guo J, Li S, Zhang N, Hu X, Fu Y.Laminitis is a common and serve disease which caused by inflammation and pathological changes of the laminar junction. However, the pathologic mechanism remains unclear. In this study we aimed to investigate changes of the gut microbiota and metabolomics in oligofructose-induced laminitis of horses. Results: Animals submitted to treatment with oligofructose had lower fecal pH but higher lactic acid, histamine, and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in serum. Meanwhile, oligofructose altered composition of the hindgut bacterial community, demonstrated by increasing relative abundance of Lactobacillus and...
Kopper JJ, Alexander TL, Kogan CJ, Berreta AR, Burbick CR.Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), a technique used to restore normal intestinal microbial communities, has been successful in treating humans with Clostridioides difficile colitis. Subsequently, FMT is being used in veterinary patients with suspected intestinal dysbiosis. Unfortunately, little data are available regarding best practices for FMT in horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storing manure prepared for equine FMT (MP-FMT) at -20°C for up to 4 weeks and passage through a simulated proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract on the viability of MP-FMT. The resu...
Hu D, Chao Y, Li Y, Peng X, Wang C, Wang Z, Zhang D, Li K.Many studies on human intestinal microbiota indicate that gender difference is one of the key factors influencing microbial community composition. To date, the degree of influence that gender has on equid intestinal microbiota has not been reported. Thus, microbiota was analyzed in feces of seven female Przewalski's horses (FRPHs) and seven male Przewalski's horses (MRPHs) in this study, determining which microbiota characteristics respond to gender biases. The microbial community composition and structure were explored by 16S rRNA sequencing, followed by diversity analysis and difference anal...
Thorringer NW, Jensen RB.Total collection of faeces is considered the golden standard for estimating apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) in horses. However, the evaluation of individual feedstuffs is limited and determination of nutrient digestibility in different segments of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is excluded. The rationale for performing this study was that the mobile bag technique (MBT) can provide information on individual feedstuffs' degradation, and the use of fistulated animals does provide additionally information regarding degradation in individual segments of the GIT. Recommendations for usin...
Li N, Xie Q, Chen Q, Evivie SE, Liu D, Dong J, Huo G, Li B.Studies on the possible alternative supplements to breastmilk are gaining research interests. Although milk from cow, goat, and mare is nutritious, its effects on the relationship between the immune system, metabolites, and gut microbiota remain unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the effects of cow, goat, and mare milk on the immune system, metabolites, and gut microbiota of mice colonized by healthy infant feces using human milk as a standard. We examined the serum biochemistry parameters, immunity indicators, T cells, gut microbiota abundance, and metabolites. Results show...
Walshe N, Mulcahy G, Hodgkinson J, Peachey L.The importance of the gut microbiome for host health has been the subject of intense research over the last decade. In particular, there is overwhelming evidence for the influence of resident microbiota on gut mucosal and systemic immunity; with significant implications for the outcome of gastrointestinal (GI) infections, such as parasitic helminths. The horse is a species that relies heavily on its gut microbiota for GI and overall health, and disturbances in this complex ecosystem are often associated with life-threatening disease. In turn, nearly all horses harbour parasitic helminths from ...
Zhang R, Zhang J, Dang W, Irwin DM, Wang Z, Zhang S.The intestinal microbial composition and metabolic functions under normal physiological conditions in the donkey are crucial for health and production performance. However, compared with other animal species, limited information is currently available regarding the intestinal microbiota of donkeys. In the present study, we characterized the biogeography and potential functions of the intestinal digesta- and mucosa-associated microbiota of different segments of the intestine (jejunum, ileum, cecum, and colon) in the donkey, focusing on the differences in the microbial communities between the sm...
Xing J, Liu G, Zhang X, Bai D, Yu J, Li L, Wang X, Su S, Zhao Y, Bou G, Dugarjaviin M.The community of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract of monogastric herbivores played critical roles in the absorption of nutrients and keeping the host healthy. However, its establishment at different age groups has not been quantitatively and functionally examined. The knowledge of microbial colonization and its function in the intestinal tract of different-age donkeys is still limited. By applying the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and functional prediction on fecal samples from different-age donkeys, we characterized the gut microbiota during the different age...
Tavenner MK, McDonnell SM, Biddle AS.Early development of the gut microbiome is an essential part of neonate health in animals. It is unclear whether the acquisition of gut microbes is different between domesticated animals and their wild counterparts. In this study, fecal samples from ten domestic conventionally managed (DCM) Standardbred and ten semi-feral managed (SFM) Shetland-type pony foals and dams were compared using 16S rRNA sequencing to identify differences in the development of the foal hindgut microbiome related to time and management. Results: Gut microbiome diversity of dams was lower than foals overall and within ...
Gomez A, Sharma AK, Grev A, Sheaffer C, Martinson K.Although contributions of the equine gut microbiome to forage utilization are well recognized, the impact of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) lignification on the equine gut microbiome remains unknown; thus, we characterized microbial communities in the equine gut when feeding reduced lignin (RL) and conventional (CON) alfalfa hays to adult stock-type horses. Dietary treatments were fed to six horses in a crossover study. Experimental periods consisted of a 9-day dietary adaptation phase followed by a 5-day total fecal collection phase, during which horses were housed in individual box stalls and ...
Daniels SP, Leng J, Swann JR, Proudman CJ.Anthelmintic treatment is a risk factor for intestinal disease in the horse, known as colic. However the mechanisms involved in the onset of disease post anthelmintic treatment are unknown. The interaction between anthelmintic drugs and the gut microbiota may be associated with this observed increase in risk of colic. Little is known about the interaction between gut microbiota and anthelmintics and how treatment may alter microbiome function. The objectives of this study were: To characterise (1) faecal microbiota, (2) feed fermentation kinetics in vitro and (3) metabolic profiles following m...
Walshe N, Mulcahy G, Crispie F, Cabrera-Rubio R, Cotter P, Jahns H, Duggan V.Cyathostomins are prevalent and pathogenic intestinal helminths of horses, causing acute and chronic disease, including acute larval cyathostominosis, which has a mortality rate of 50%. Factors determining individual susceptibility to acute larval cyathostominosis are unknown. Investigation of these factors could lead to novel treatment and prevention strategies. Objective: To investigate clinicopathological and faecal microbiota changes associated with disease in individual horses in an acute larval cyathostominosis outbreak. Methods: Case series. Methods: The study population was a herd of 2...
Thanissery R, McLaren MR, Rivera A, Reed AD, Betrapally NS, Burdette T, Winston JA, Jacob M, Callahan BJ, Theriot CM.The relationship between the gut microbiota and Clostridioides difficile, and its role in the severity of C. difficile infection in humans is an area of active research. Intestinal carriage of toxigenic and non-toxigenic C. difficile strains, with and without clinical signs, is reported in animals, however few studies have looked at the risk factors associated with C. difficile carriage and the role of the host gut microbiota. Here, we isolated and characterized C. difficile strains from different animal species (predominantly canines (dogs), felines (cats), and equines (horses)) that were...
Mienaltowski MJ, Belt A, Henderson JD, Boyd TN, Marter N, Maga EA, DePeters EJ.Prophylactic supplementation of psyllium husk is recommended to enhance passage of ingested sand from the gastrointestinal tracts of horses. We hypothesized that psyllium supplementation would increase fecal sand passage and favorably alter bacterial populations in the hindgut. Six yearlings and six mature mares were fed a psyllium supplement in the diet daily for seven days. Voluntarily-voided feces were collected over the course of 29 days, prior, during, and after treatment. Feces were analyzed for acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent insoluble ash analyses. Microbial DNA was also...
Garber A, Hastie P, McGuinness D, Malarange P, Murray JA.Abrupt dietary changes, as can be common when managing horses, may lead to compositional changes in gut microbiota, which may result in digestive or metabolic disturbances. The aim of this study was to describe and compare the faecal microbiota of ponies abruptly changed from pasture grazing ad libitum to a restricted hay-only diet and vice versa. The experiment consisted of two, 14-day periods. Faecal samples were collected on day 0 and days 1-3,7,14 after abrupt dietary change from grass to hay and from hay to grass. Microbial populations were characterised by sequencing the V3-V4 region of ...
Arroyo LG, Rossi L, Santos BP, Gomez DE, Surette MG, Costa MC.The aim of this study was to compare the mucosal and luminal content microbiota of the cecum and colon of healthy and diarrheic horses. Marked differences in the richness and in the community composition between the mucosal and luminal microbiota of the cecum and large colon of horses with colitis were observed. Microbial dysbiosis occurs in horses with colitis at different levels of the intestinal tract, and microbiota composition is different between the mucosa and luminal content of diarrheic horses. The changes in some key taxa associated with dysbiosis in the equine intestinal microbiota,...
Moore-Colyer M, Tuthill P, Bannister I, Daniels S.Traditions and the economic advantage when producing big athletic Thoroughbred (TB) yearlings for sale encourage owners to feed high levels of cereals. Such diets can predispose gastric ulceration and developmental orthopedic diseases, impacting negatively on future careers. This study aimed to (1) determine if an all-fiber creep feed (total mixed fiber ration [TMFR] would sustain equal growth rates in TB foals versus a cereal-based stud cube (SC) and (2) compare pH and lactate produced by SC and TMFR in in vitro foregut and hindgut conditions. Eight TB foals in matched-pairs were fed SC or T...
Garber A, Hastie PM, Farci V, Bulmer L, Alzahal O, Murray JMD.Fibre is essential to maintain healthy gut; however, energy demands of performance horses can be too high to be met by forages alone. Yeast may support the function of cellulolytic bacteria to digest fibre. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of an oral supplement (VistaEQ) containing 4% live yeast on the in vitro and in vivo digestibility of high-starch (HS) and high-fibre diets (HF). Eight ponies were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design consisting of 4- × 19-day periods and four diets: HF, HF + yeast (HFY), HS and HS + yeast (HSY). In vivo apparent digestibility (AD) was estim...
Garber A, Hastie PM, Farci V, McGuinness D, Bulmer L, Alzahal O, Murray JMD.There is a need to develop feeding strategies to prevent the adverse effect of concentrate feeding in high-performance horses fed energy-dense diets aiming to maintain their health and welfare. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of a VistaEQ product containing 4% live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae), with activity 5 × 108 colony-forming unit/g and fed 2 g/pony per day, on faecal microbial populations when supplemented with high-starch and high-fibre diets using Illumina next generation sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The four tr...
Halpin MY, Drouillard JS, Fehlberg LK, Douthit TL, Lattimer JM.To assess the impact of protein on fermentation by equine cecal microorganisms, cecal fluid from 4 cecally cannulated horses was used to inoculate fermentation bottles containing buffer, forage, and supplemental protein. In experiment 1, sodium caseinate (SC) provided 0, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, or 4% additional crude protein (CP) to bottles containing alfalfa or native warm-season prairie grass hay. Bottles were equipped with continuous gas pressure monitors and placed into a shaking incubator for 48 hours at 39°C. Cultures with alfalfa had greater (P < .0001) in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD...
Mach N, Ruet A, Clark A, Bars-Cortina D, Ramayo-Caldas Y, Crisci E, Pennarun S, Dhorne-Pollet S, Foury A, Moisan MP, Lansade L.We simultaneously measured the fecal microbiota and multiple environmental and host-related variables in a cohort of 185 healthy horses reared in similar conditions during a period of eight months. The pattern of rare bacteria varied from host to host and was largely different between two time points. Among a suite of variables examined, equitation factors were highly associated with the gut microbiota variability, evoking a relationship between gut microbiota and high levels of physical and mental stressors. Behavioral indicators that pointed toward a compromised welfare state (e.g. stereotyp...
Wambacq WA, van Doorn DA, Rovers-Paap PM, Ducatelle R, Vlaminck L, Lourenço M, Hesta M.As colic and intestinal disorders are a major concern in horses, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of butyrate, known to have a diverse array of beneficial effects on intestinal health. The effect of micro-encapsulated sodium butyrate supplementation on gut histology and immunohistochemistry parameters was studied in 14 healthy warmblood horses destined for slaughter in two separate periods. Horses were fed a low fiber - high starch diet, designed to induce subsequent starch overflow in the large intestine, aiming to create a mild challenge f...
Paßlack N, Vahjen W, Zentek J.Cellobiose is a disaccharide with potential prebiotic effects, as demonstrated in different animal species, but not yet in horses. It was, therefore, the aim of the present study to evaluate the impact of dietary cellobiose on the fecal microbiota of horses. Eight healthy adult horses and two ponies were included in this study. The animals received a diet without or with 10 g and 20 g cellobiose per day for 14 days each. At the end of the feeding periods, fresh fecal samples were collected to measure bacterial metabolites and the microbial composition. For the microbiota analysis, 16S rRNA ...
Iida A, Saito H, Amao A, Fujita T, Kato A, Ueda F.A nutritional supplement containing salacinol (NSS) was administered to Thoroughbred foals daily beginning 21 days after birth, and clinical signs and intestinal microbiota were analyzed. The average number of days for which foals exhibited a fever between 21 and 110 days after birth was determined. The number of days was significantly reduced, by approximately 1/3, in the NSS group compared with the control group. Furthermore, improved weight gain was observed in the NSS group compared with the control group. By analyzing the intestinal microbiota, it was determined that the ratio of Clostrid...
Edwards JE, Schennink A, Burden F, Long S, van Doorn DA, Pellikaan WF, Dijkstra J, Saccenti E, Smidt H.Compared to horses and ponies, donkeys have increased degradation of dietary fiber. The longer total mean retention time of feed in the donkey gut has been proposed to be the basis of this, because of the increased time available for feed to be acted upon by enzymes and the gut microbiota. However, differences in terms of microbial concentrations and/or community composition in the hindgut may also underpin the increased degradation of fiber in donkeys. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess if differences existed between the fecal microbiota of pony, donkey and hybrids derived from them (...
Szemplinski KL, Thompson A, Cherry N, Guay K, Smith WB, Brady J, Jones T.The objective of this study was to determine if transportation and exercise stress in horses affect the microflora populations in the equine hindgut. Four horses were subjected to three transport periods (0, 3, and 6 hours) with a 7-d rest period between each transport. Horses were fed 0.91 kg/day of Purina Impact All Stages 12% and had ad libitum access to Cynodon dactylon (Coastal Bermudagrass) hay. Fecal samples were collected before (0 hours) and after (48 hours) transport. In addition, three horses underwent a different standardized exercise test with a 7-d rest period between each ex...
Tang L, Li Y, Srivathsan A, Gao Y, Li K, Hu D, Zhang D.Captivity maybe the only choice for survival of many endangered vertebrates, and understanding its broad effects is important for animal management and conservation, including breeding endangered species for subsequent release. Extreme environmental changes during captivity may influence survival ability in the wild. Captivity decreases gut bacterial diversity in a wide range of animals. However, most studies directly compare animals living in captivity with those in the wild, and there is a lack of understanding of effects of gradient shift in lifestyle during species reintroduction based on ...
Theelen MJP, Luiken REC, Wagenaar JA, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Rossen JWA, Zomer AL.Several studies have described the faecal microbiota of horses and the factors that influence its composition, but the variation in results is substantial. This study aimed to investigate the microbiota composition in healthy equids in The Netherlands under standard housing and management conditions and to evaluate the effect of age, gender, horse type, diet, pasture access, the season of sampling and location on it. Spontaneously produced faecal samples were collected from the stall floor of 79 healthy horses and ponies at two farms. The validity of this sampling technique was evaluated in a ...
Collinet A, Grimm P, Julliand S, Julliand V.The equine hindgut ecosystem is specialized in dietary fibers' fermentation to provide horses' energy and contribute to its health. Nevertheless, antibiotics are known to disrupt the hindgut microbiota, affecting the fibrolytic activity of bacteria and the intestinal immune balance, leading to diseases. This study used a general and comprehensive approach for characterizing the hindgut ecosystem of 9 healthy horses over 28 days in response to a 5-day challenge with oral trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (TMS), with a special emphasis on microbial fibrolytic activity and the host immune response. Hors...
Mach N, Lansade L, Bars-Cortina D, Dhorne-Pollet S, Foury A, Moisan MP, Ruet A.Elite horse athletes that live in individual boxes and train and compete for hours experience long-term physical and mental stress that compromises animal welfare and alters the gut microbiota. We therefore assessed if a temporary period out to pasture with conspecifics could improve animal welfare and in turn, favorably affect intestinal microbiota composition. A total of 27 athletes were monitored before and after a period of 1.5 months out to pasture, and their fecal microbiota and behavior profiles were compared to those of 18 horses kept in individual boxes. The overall diversity and mic...
John J, Roediger K, Schroedl W, Aldaher N, Vervuert I.Almost all foals develop transient diarrhoea within the first weeks of life. Studies indicated different viral, bacterial, and parasitic causes, such as rotavirus, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, and Cryptosporidium are discussed. But little is known about the development of intestinal microflora in foals. The present study investigated whether the supplementation with Bacillus cereus var. toyoi would modify the developing intestinal microflora and consequently reduce diarrhoea in foals. From birth, the foals were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: placebo (10 mL isotonic...
McGreevy P, Nicol C.Crib-biting in the horse is frequently prevented in the short-term by horse-owners using physical means. Because it has been proposed that crib-biting may function to reduce stress, the effect of prevention of crib-biting and/or eating on the behaviour, heart rate, and plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin concentrations was measured in six crib-biting and six normal horses. When crib-biters were unable to crib-bite, they showed an increase in ingestive behaviour. When crib-biters were prevented from crib-biting and eating, a relative stasis in the motility of the foregut occurred, suggesting tha...
Wang Y, Li X, Chen X, Kulyar MF, Duan K, Li H, Bhutta ZA, Wu Y, Li K.It is critical to characterize changes in the structure and composition of the host fungal community in natural infection, because it gives the possible overview of gut microbiome in host homeostasis and disease progression. A total of 168 rectal fecal samples were collected and examined using nPCR. The positive samples were double-checked using 18S rDNA high-throughput sequencing. After confirmation, ITS high-throughput sequencing was utilized to investigate the fungal community's response to natural infection. Results showed that a total of three positive samples (1.79%) were identified wi...
Endo A, Okada S, Morita H.Diversity and compositions of the Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, and Bifidobacterium group in the feces of six healthy, actively racing horses (Thoroughbreds) were analyzed by using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and real-time PCR with primer sets specific for each group. PCR-DGGE analysis of the feces showed that Lactobacillus equi, Lactobacillus johnsonii, a phylogenetic relative of Lactobacillus salivarius, a phylogenetic relative of Lactobacillus gastricus, and Weissella confusa were predominant in almost all of the feces tested, and Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equ...
Kristoffersen C, Jensen RB, Avershina E, Austbø D, Tauson AH, Rudi K.Knowledge on dynamic interactions in microbiota is pivotal for understanding the role of bacteria in the gut. We herein present comprehensive dynamic models of the horse cecal microbiota, which include short-chained fatty acids, carbohydrate metabolic networks, and taxonomy. Dynamic models were derived from time-series data in a crossover experiment in which four cecum-cannulated horses were fed a starch-rich diet of hay supplemented with barley (starch intake 2 g kg body weight per day) and a fiber-rich diet of only hay. Cecal contents were sampled via the cannula each h for 24 h for both die...
Garber A, Hastie P, McGuinness D, Malarange P, Murray JA.Abrupt dietary changes, as can be common when managing horses, may lead to compositional changes in gut microbiota, which may result in digestive or metabolic disturbances. The aim of this study was to describe and compare the faecal microbiota of ponies abruptly changed from pasture grazing ad libitum to a restricted hay-only diet and vice versa. The experiment consisted of two, 14-day periods. Faecal samples were collected on day 0 and days 1-3,7,14 after abrupt dietary change from grass to hay and from hay to grass. Microbial populations were characterised by sequencing the V3-V4 region of ...
Fernandes KA, Gee EK, Rogers CW, Kittelmann S, Biggs PJ, Bermingham EN, Bolwell CF, Thomas DG.Seasonal variation in the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses was investigated over a 12-month period to determine whether the bacterial diversity fluctuated over time. Horses ( = 10) were maintained on pasture for one year, with hay supplemented from June to October. At monthly intervals, data were recorded on pasture availability and climate (collected continuously and averaged on monthly basis), pasture and hay samples were collected for nutrient analysis, and faecal samples were collected from all horses to investigate the diversity of faecal microbiota using next-generation sequencing ...
Edouard N, Fleurance G, Martin-Rosset W, Duncan P, Dulphy JP, Grange S, Baumont R, Dubroeucq H, Pérez-Barbería FJ, Gordon IJ.Food intake is a key biological process in animals, as it determines the energy and nutrients available for the physiological and behavioural processes. In herbivores, the abundance, structure and quality of plant resources are known to influence intake strongly. In ruminants, as the forage quality declines, digestibility and total intake decline. Equids are believed to be adapted to consume high-fibre low-quality forages. As hindgut fermenters, it has been suggested that their response to a reduction in food quality is to increase intake to maintain rates of energy and nutrient absorption. Al...
Daniels SP, Leng J, Swann JR, Proudman CJ.Anthelmintic treatment is a risk factor for intestinal disease in the horse, known as colic. However the mechanisms involved in the onset of disease post anthelmintic treatment are unknown. The interaction between anthelmintic drugs and the gut microbiota may be associated with this observed increase in risk of colic. Little is known about the interaction between gut microbiota and anthelmintics and how treatment may alter microbiome function. The objectives of this study were: To characterise (1) faecal microbiota, (2) feed fermentation kinetics in vitro and (3) metabolic profiles following m...
Salem SE, Hough R, Probert C, Maddox TW, Antczak P, Ketley JM, Williams NJ, Stoneham SJ, Archer DC.Periparturient mares are at increased risk of colic including large colon volvulus, which has a high mortality rate. Alterations in colonic microbiota related to either physiological or management changes, or both, that occur at this time have been suggested as potential causes for increased colic risk in this population of horses. Although the effect of management changes on the horse faecal microbiota has been investigated, limited work has been conducted to investigate changes in faecal microbiota structure and function in the periparturient period. The objectives of the current study were ...
Wambacq WA, van Doorn DA, Rovers-Paap PM, Ducatelle R, Vlaminck L, Lourenço M, Hesta M.As colic and intestinal disorders are a major concern in horses, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of butyrate, known to have a diverse array of beneficial effects on intestinal health. The effect of micro-encapsulated sodium butyrate supplementation on gut histology and immunohistochemistry parameters was studied in 14 healthy warmblood horses destined for slaughter in two separate periods. Horses were fed a low fiber - high starch diet, designed to induce subsequent starch overflow in the large intestine, aiming to create a mild challenge f...
Hu D, Yang J, Qi Y, Li B, Li K, Mok KM.Intestinal microbiota is involved in immune response and metabolism of the host. The frequent use of anthelmintic compounds for parasite expulsion causes disturbance to the equine intestinal microbiota. However, most studies were on the effects of such treatment on the intestinal bacterial microbes; none is on the entire microbial community including archaea and eukaryotic and viral community in equine animals. This study is the first to explore the differences of the microbial community composition and structure in Przewalski's horses prior to and following anthelmintic treatment, and to dete...
Tavenner MK, McDonnell SM, Biddle AS.Early development of the gut microbiome is an essential part of neonate health in animals. It is unclear whether the acquisition of gut microbes is different between domesticated animals and their wild counterparts. In this study, fecal samples from ten domestic conventionally managed (DCM) Standardbred and ten semi-feral managed (SFM) Shetland-type pony foals and dams were compared using 16S rRNA sequencing to identify differences in the development of the foal hindgut microbiome related to time and management. Results: Gut microbiome diversity of dams was lower than foals overall and within ...
Tang L, Yan L, Jia H, Xiong Y, Ma X, Chu H, Sun Z, Wang L, Shalitanati M, Li K, Hu D, Zhang D.Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness. Therefore, naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts. This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals, as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations. However, little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation. Here, we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) populations in China from three nature reserves (i.e. Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve, KNR; Dunhuang Xihu ...
Muhonen S, Sadet-Bourgeteau S, Julliand V.Fibrous feeds are essential for horses. When developing feeding regimens promoting health and performance, we need to understand the digestion of plant cell walls and the functioning of the hindgut microbial ecosystem. Our objective was to investigate the effect of grass fibre maturity and legume forage on the hindgut microbiota and its activity. Six caecum and colon fistulated geldings were fed three diets differing in fibre composition: concentrate and late harvested grass haylage (35:65 energy ratio) (C); early and late harvested grass haylage (80:20) (G); lucerne and late harvested grass h...
Hu D, Chao Y, Li Y, Peng X, Wang C, Wang Z, Zhang D, Li K.Many studies on human intestinal microbiota indicate that gender difference is one of the key factors influencing microbial community composition. To date, the degree of influence that gender has on equid intestinal microbiota has not been reported. Thus, microbiota was analyzed in feces of seven female Przewalski's horses (FRPHs) and seven male Przewalski's horses (MRPHs) in this study, determining which microbiota characteristics respond to gender biases. The microbial community composition and structure were explored by 16S rRNA sequencing, followed by diversity analysis and difference anal...
Hu D, Chao Y, Zhang B, Wang C, Qi Y, Ente M, Zhang D, Li K, Mok KM.Horse botflies have been a threat to the Przewalski's horses in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve in Xinjiang of China since their reintroduction to the original range. As larvae of these parasites could infest the intestine of a horse for months, they could interact with and alter the structure and composition of its intestinal microbiota, affecting adversely its health. Nonetheless, there are no such studies on the rewilded Przewalski's horses yet. For the first time, this study characterizes the composition of the intestinal microbiota of 7 rewilded Przewalski's horses infected severely by Gaste...
Shepherd ML, Ponder MA, Burk AO, Milton SC, Swecker WS.The purpose of the present study was to compare digestibility of grass hay, faecal and plasma volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, and faecal bacterial abundance in overweight and moderate-condition mares. Five overweight adult mixed-breed mares and five adult mixed-breed mares in moderate condition were housed individually and limit-fed orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) hay at 20 g/kg body weight (as fed) daily for 14 d. Forage DM and fibre digestibility were determined using AOAC methods; digestible energy was measured using bomb calorimetry; plasma and faecal VFA concentrations were ...
Hotwagner K, Iben C.The aim of this study was to determine the evacuation of sand from the equine intestine after a double treatment with psyllium and mineral oil or mineral oil only. A crossover study was conducted. Twelve healthy horses were fed 1 kg sand once a day for 5 days. Subsequently, these horses were divided into two groups: A and B. From day 6-10, both groups were treated with 2 l of mineral oil once a day and group B received an additional 0.5 kg of psyllium twice a day. The trial was repeated after 2 weeks with treatment crossover of groups A and B. The horses were housed sand free and 1.8 kg hay/10...
Sadet-Bourgeteau S, Philippeau C, Julliand V.Feeding a diet with a small amount of hay and a high proportion of concentrate given in large meals entails a risk of colic to horses as this can impact the hindgut microbial ecosystem. To counteract this potential negative effect, one feeding strategy is to modify the distribution sequence of concentrate and hay. The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of feeding the concentrate meal before or with the hay meal on fermentative parameters postprandial variations in caecum and right ventral colon contents and faeces. We focused on the comparison of pH value and volatile fatty ...
Zeyner A, Geissler C, Dittrich A.To investigate effects of hay intake and feeding sequence on indicators of the microbial activity within the hindgut, six horses were fed 1.00 kg oats plus 0.50, 0.67, 0.83 or 1.00 kg hay/100 kg body weight (BW) x day, each for 14 days. Oats was offered either 30 min prior to hay (OA) or in the reversed sequence (HA) in a 2 x 8-week crossover design. Because typically exercised horses should be subjected to the study, faeces was used as substrate. Faecal dry matter (DM), the faecal waters' short-chain fatty acids (SCFA, in mmol/1) and molar percentages (mol%) of propionate and iso-butyrate wer...
Endo A, Futagawa-Endo Y, Dicks LM.Lactobacillus equi, Lactobacillus hayakitensis, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Weissella confusa/cibaria were the dominant species in 12 South African horses. The Bifidobacterium-group was detected in the feces of only one of the 12 horses. Sequencing of the nested-PCR amplicon identified the Bifidobacterium-group as Parascardovia denticolens. Cell numbers of L. equi, L. hayakitensis, and W. confusa/cibaria were consistent in all samples. P. denticolens, Bifidodobacterium pseudolongum, and a phylogenetic relative of Alloscardovia omnicolens were rarely detected. L. equigenerosi, a dominant speci...
Mitchell S, Bull M, Muscatello G, Chapman B, Coleman NV.Antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens is a growing problem for both human and veterinary medicine. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) such as plasmids, transposons, and integrons enable the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) among bacteria, and the overuse of antibiotics drives this process by providing the selection pressure for resistance genes to establish and persist in bacterial populations. Because bacteria, MGEs, and resistance genes can readily spread between different ecological compartments (e.g. soil, plants, animals, humans, wastewater), a "One Health" approach is need...
Kopper JJ, Alexander TL, Kogan CJ, Berreta AR, Burbick CR.Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), a technique used to restore normal intestinal microbial communities, has been successful in treating humans with Clostridioides difficile colitis. Subsequently, FMT is being used in veterinary patients with suspected intestinal dysbiosis. Unfortunately, little data are available regarding best practices for FMT in horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storing manure prepared for equine FMT (MP-FMT) at -20°C for up to 4 weeks and passage through a simulated proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract on the viability of MP-FMT. The resu...
Zhang Z, Gao X, Dong W, Huang B, Wang Y, Zhu M, Wang C.Equines and ruminants have evolved as grazing herbivores with specialized gastrointestinal tracts capable of utilizing a wide range of fibrous feeds. In China, agricultural by-products, including corn straw, wheat straw, peanut vine, wheat husk, rice husk, and grass hay, have been extensively included in both equine and ruminant diets. These plant materials, which are composed predominantly of cellulose, hemicellulose, noncellulosic polysaccharides, and lignin, are largely undegradable by equines and ruminants themselves. Their breakdown is accomplished by communities of resident microorganism...
Crotch-Harvey L, Thomas LA, Worgan HJ, Douglas JL, Gilby DE, McEwan NR.Anthelmintics are used as anti-worming agents. Although known to affect their target organisms, nothing has been published regarding their effect on other digestive tract organisms or on metabolites produced by them. The current work investigated effects of fenbendazole, a benzimidazole anthelmintic, on bacteria and ciliates in the equine digestive tract and on and their major metabolites. Animals receiving anthelmintic treatment had high faecal egg counts relative to controls. Analysis was performed over two weeks, with temporal differences detected in bacterial populations but with no other ...
