The equine microbiome refers to the diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, residing in various parts of a horse's body, such as the gastrointestinal tract, skin, and respiratory system. These microorganisms are involved in numerous physiological processes, including digestion, metabolism, and immune function. The composition and diversity of the microbiome can be influenced by factors such as diet, environment, and health status. Research in this area explores the characterization of the equine microbiome, its impact on health and disease, and potential applications in managing equine health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the composition, function, and implications of the microbiome in horses.
Park T, Cheong H, Yoon J, Kim A, Yun Y, Unno T.(1) Background: The intestinal microbiota plays an essential role in maintaining the host's health. Dysbiosis of the equine hindgut microbiota can alter the fermentation patterns and cause metabolic disorders. (2) Methods: This study compared the fecal microbiota composition of horses with intestinal disease and their healthy counterparts living in Korea using 16S rRNA sequencing from fecal samples. A total of 52 fecal samples were collected and divided into three groups: horses with large intestinal disease (n = 20), horses with small intestinal disease (n = 8), and healthy horses (n = 24). (...
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 ...
Kinoshita Y, Niwa H, Uchida-Fujii E, Nukada T.Microbial communities are commonly studied by using amplicon sequencing of part of the 16S rRNA gene. Sequencing of the full-length 16S rRNA gene can provide higher taxonomic resolution and accuracy. To obtain even higher taxonomic resolution, with as few false-positives as possible, we assessed a method using long amplicon sequencing targeting the rRNA operon combined with a CCMetagen pipeline. Taxonomic assignment had > 90% accuracy at the species level in a mock sample and at the family level in equine fecal samples, generating similar taxonomic composition as shotgun sequencing. The...
Valdez-Miramontes CE, De Haro-Acosta J, Aréchiga-Flores CF, Verdiguel-Fernández L, Rivas-Santiago B.Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules with a broad-spectrum activity against bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. These peptides are widely distributed in insects, amphibians and mammals. Indeed, they are key molecules of the innate immune system with remarkable antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activity. Besides, these peptides have also shown regulatory activity for gut microbiota and have been considered inductors of growth performance. The current review describes the updated findings of antimicrobial peptides in domestic animals, such as bovines, goats, sheep, pigs, horses, cani...
Lindenberg FC, Lützhøft DO, Krych L, Fielden J, Kot W, Frøkiær H, van Galen G, Nielsen DS, Hansen AK.Some oligosaccharides induce growth of anti-inflammatory bacterial species and induce regulatory immunity in humans as well as animals. We have shown that the equine gut microbiota and the immune-microbial homeostasis largely stabilize within the first 50 days of life. Furthermore, we have previously established that certain bacterial species in the equine gut correlated with regulatory immunity. Accordingly, we hypothesized that an oligosaccharide rich diet fed to foals during the first 50 days would increase the abundance of bacterial species associated with regulatory immunity, and that thi...
Park T, Yoon J, Kim A, Unno T, Yun Y.(1) Background: The large intestine of horses is an anaerobic fermentative chamber filled with fibrolytic bacteria that play essential roles in digesting and absorbing nutrients for energy production. Although Jeju horses are a prominent local breed in Korea, few studies have investigated the gut microbiota of Jeju horses; (2) Methods: This study performed sequencing of V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the partial 16S rRNA genes obtained from horse fecal samples and compared the gut microbiota between Jeju and Thoroughbred horses. Thirty and 24 fecal samples were obtained from Jeju and Thoro...
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...
Zhu Y, Wang X, Deng L, Chen S, Zhu C, Li J.Diet is an important factor affecting intestinal microbiota in horses. Fecal microbiota is commonly used as a substitute for studying hindgut microbiota when investigating the relationship between intestinal microbial changes and host health. So far, no study has compared the difference between the fecal microbiota found in horses that are fed pasture grass, silage, and hay. The present study aims to characterize the fecal microbiota in horses that were exclusively on one of the three forage diets, and to analyze the potential impact of these forages, especially silage, on horse intestinal hea...
Collinet A, Grimm P, Julliand S, Julliand V.In horses, abrupt changes from high-fiber (HF) to high-starch (HS) diets can affect the cecal and colonic microbiota. This study investigated modifications and recovery of fecal microbiota after two consecutive abrupt dietary changes. Twelve horses fed HF for 2 weeks were changed to HS for 5 days then returned to HF for 7 weeks. Six received lactic acid bacteria supplementation. Bacterial population diversity, structure, and activity, especially fibrolysis, were assessed to obtain an overview of alteration in hindgut microbiota. Two days after the abrupt change from HF to HS, the findings in f...
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...
Zhu Y, Chen S, Yi Z, Holyoak R, Wang T, Ding Z, Li J. subsp. equi () is the pathogen causing strangles, a highly infectious disease that can affect equids including donkeys of all ages. It can persistently colonize the upper respiratory tract of animals asymptomatically for years, which serves as a source of infection. Several strangles outbreaks have been reported in the donkey industry in China in the last few years and pose a great threat to health, production, and the welfare of donkeys. Nasopharyngeal swab samples for culture and PCR are used widely in strangles diagnosis. Additionally, microbiomes within and on the body are essential to ho...
Kushugulova A, Löber U, Akpanova S, Rysbekov K, Kozhakhmetov S, Khassenbekova Z, Essex M, Nurgozhina A, Nurgaziyev M, Babenko D, Markó L....Probiotics and prebiotics are widely used for recovery of the human gut microbiome after antibiotic treatment. High antibiotic usage is especially common in children with developing microbiome. We hypothesized that dry Mare's milk, which is rich in biologically active substances without containing live bacteria, could be used as a prebiotic in promoting microbial diversity following antibiotic treatment in children. The present pilot study aims to determine the impacts of dry Mare's milk on the diversity of gut bacterial communities when administered during antibiotic treatment and throughout ...
Boshuizen B, Moreno de Vega CV, De Maré L, de Meeûs C, de Oliveira JE, Hosotani G, Gansemans Y, Deforce D, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Delesalle C.Aleurone, a layer of the bran fraction, is deemed to be responsible for the positive health effects associated with the consumption of whole-grain products. Studies on rodents, pigs, and humans report beneficial effects of aleurone in five main areas: the reduction of oxidative stress, immunomodulatory effects, modulation of energy management, digestive health, and the storage of vitamins and minerals. Our study is the first aleurone supplementation study performed in horses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an increase in the dose levels of aleurone on the postprandial g...
Kaiser-Thom S, Hilty M, Axiak S, Gerber V.Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD), a multifactorial syndrome, manifests as skin lesions of variable severity in the pastern area. Despite the widespread use of antibacterial therapy for treating this condition, little is known about the contributing bacteria. Objective: To investigate the bacterial skin microbiota in EPD-affected and unaffected (control) pasterns. Methods: Case-control study with 80 client-owned horses; each with at least one EPD-affected and one control pastern. Methods: Horses were grouped by the form of EPD (mild, exudative or proliferative), the assigned severity grade and t...
Mach N, Moroldo M, Rau A, Lecardonnel J, Le Moyec L, Robert C, Barrey E.Endurance exercise has a dramatic impact on the functionality of mitochondria and on the composition of the intestinal microbiome, but the mechanisms regulating the crosstalk between these two components are still largely unknown. Here, we sampled 20 elite horses before and after an endurance race and used blood transcriptome, blood metabolome and fecal microbiome to describe the gut-mitochondria crosstalk. A subset of mitochondria-related differentially expressed genes involved in pathways such as energy metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammation was discovered and then shown to be associa...
Hesta M, Costa M.Many horses are fed differently than their wild ancestors. They often have limited access to pasture and are fed conserved forage and concentrates rich in starch and sugars, in only 2 meals per day. Feeding practices in contrast to natural feeding behavior can lead to gastrointestinal issues. Standard nutritional evaluation is warranted because of its important role in prevention and in treatment and management of diseases. When medical and nutritional treatments are combined, success rates are higher. New techniques to characterize equine microbiota have been used, allowing for microbiota man...
Ericsson AC, Johnson PJ, Gieche LM, Zobrist C, Bucy K, Townsend KS, Martin LM, LaCarrubba AM.Common treatments for Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and associated conditions include removal from pasture and adoption of an all-hay diet. Pharmacological treatments for EMS include metformin, a biguanide antihyperglycemic agent also administered to people to help improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Both treatments may work, at least partially, through the gut microbiota, yet little is known regarding these effects in the equine host. To determine the influence on the fecal microbiota of this diet change and administration of metformin, six healthy horses were removed from pa...
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...
Townsend KS, Johnson PJ, LaCarrubba AM, Martin LM, Ericsson AC.Bacteremia resulting from dental surgery is increasingly recognized as a health risk, especially in older and immunocompromised patients. Dentistry-associated bacteremia can lead to remote infections, as exemplified by valvular endocarditis. Emerging evidence points to a novel role played by oral cavity commensals in the pathogenesis of diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Whether dental extraction, a commonly undertaken procedure in old horses, causes bacteremia has not been reported extensively. In a prospective clinical study using next gene...
Martin de Bustamante M, Plummer C, MacNicol J, Gomez D.Sample storage conditions are an important factor in fecal microbiota analyses in general. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sample storage at room temperature on the equine fecal microbiota composition. Fecal samples were collected from 11 healthy horses. Each sample was divided into 7 sealed aliquots. One aliquot was immediately frozen at -80 °C; the remaining aliquots were stored at room temperature (21 to 22 °C) with one transferred to the freezer at each of the following time points: 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. The Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used for high-th...
Slater R, Frau A, Hodgkinson J, Archer D, Probert C.Anoplocephala perfoliata is a common equine tapeworm associated with an increased risk of colic (abdominal pain) in horses. Identification of parasite and intestinal microbiota interactions have consequences for understanding the mechanisms behind parasite-associated colic and potential new methods for parasite control. A. perfoliata was diagnosed by counting of worms in the caecum post-mortem. Bacterial DNA was extracted from colonic contents and sequenced targeting of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region). The volatile organic compound (VOC) metabolome of colonic contents was characterised using gas...
Gavriliuc S, Stothart MR, Henry A, Poissant J.The development of next-generation sequencing technologies has spurred a surge of research on bacterial microbiome diversity and function. But despite the rapid growth of the field, many uncertainties remain regarding the impact of differing methodologies on downstream results. Sample storage temperature is conventionally thought to be among the most important factors for ensuring reproducibility across marker gene studies, but to date much of the research on this topic has focused on short-term storage in the context of clinical applications. Consequently, it has remained unclear if storage a...
Martin de Bustamante M, Gomez D, MacNicol J, Hamor R, Plummer C.The objective of this study was to describe and compare the fecal bacterial microbiota of horses with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) and healthy horses using next-generation sequencing techniques. Fecal samples were collected from 15 client-owned horses previously diagnosed with ERU on complete ophthalmic examination. For each fecal sample obtained from a horse with ERU, a sample was collected from an environmentally matched healthy control with no evidence of ocular disease. The Illumina MiSeq sequencer was used for high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The relativ...
Whitfield-Cargile CM, Coleman MC, Cohen ND, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, DeSolis CN, Tetrault T, Sowinski R, Bradbery A, Much M.Gastrointestinal (GI) injury and dysbiosis are adverse events associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use in horses. Phenylbutazone has been shown to alter GI barrier function both in vitro and ex vivo, but its effects on barrier function have not been assessed in vivo. In addition, the ability of nutritional therapeutics to prevent these changes is not known. Objective: Our objectives were to determine whether (a) phenylbutazone affected barrier function in vivo and (b) if phenylbutazone-induced GI injury could be ameliorated by the use of a nutritional therapeutic. Method...
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...
Lindroth KM, Dicksved J, Pelve E, Båverud V, Müller CE.Free faecal liquid (FFL) is a condition in horses which manifests as differential defecation of solid and liquid phases of faeces. The etiology of FFL is currently unknown, but deviances in the hindgut microbiota has been suggested to be of importance. The present study aimed to compare the faecal bacterial composition of farm-matched horses with (case, n = 50) and without (control, n = 50) FFL. Samples were collected at three different occasions. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced using Illumina sequencing. Also, samples were cultivated for detecti...
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...
Wimmer-Scherr C, Taminiau B, Renaud B, van Loon G, Palmers K, Votion D, Amory H, Daube G, Cesarini C.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is caused by hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPG) intoxication resulting from the ingestion of seeds or seedlings of some Acer tree species. Interestingly, not all horses pasturing in the same toxic environment develop signs of the disease. In other species, it has been shown that the intestinal microbiota has an impact on digestion, metabolism, immune stimulation and protection from disease. The objective of this study was to characterize and compare fecal microbiota of horses suffering from AM and healthy co-grazers. Furthermore, potential d...
Walsh ML, Meason-Smith C, Arnold C, Suchodolski JS, Scott EM.The eye is host to myriad bacterial, fungal, and viral organisms that likely influence ocular surface physiology in normal and diseased states. The ocular surface mycobiota of horses has not yet been described using NGS techniques. This study aimed to characterize the ocular surface fungal microbiota (mycobiota) in healthy horses in 2 environmental conditions (stalled versus pasture). Conjunctival swabs of both eyes were obtained from 7 adult stallions stabled in an open-air pavilion and 5 adult mares living on pasture. Genomic DNA was extracted from ocular surface swabs and sequenced using pr...
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...
Bond S, McMullen C, Timsit E, Léguillette R.The lower respiratory tract microbiota of the horse is different in states of health and disease, but the bacterial and fungal composition of the healthy respiratory tract of the horse has not been studied in detail. Objective: The respiratory tract environment contains distinct niche microbiotas, which decrease in species richness at more distal sampling locations. Objective: Characterize the bacterial and fungal microbiotas along the upper and lower respiratory tract of the horse. Methods: Healthy Argentinian Thoroughbred horses (n = 11) from the same client-owned herd. Methods: Prospectiv...
White G, Prior SD.A study was carried out on the bacteriological faecal flora of horses before and after oral doses of oxytetracycline or trimethoprim plus sulphadiazine. Administration of oxytetracycline was rapidly followed by large increases in counts of coliforms. Bacteroides and Streptococcus species, the disappearance of Veillonella species, the appearance of Clostridium perfringens type A in large numbers and the accumulation of watery fluid in the rectal contents. These changes were not seen following administration of trimethoprim-sulphadiazine and it was concluded that oral treatment of horses with th...
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...
Wen X, Luo S, Lv D, Jia C, Zhou X, Zhai Q, Xi L, Yang C.The horse gut is colonized by a rich and complex microbial community that has important roles in horse physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune functions. Fewer across-breed variations in horse gut microbial diversity have been illustrated. In this article, the gut microbiota of Thoroughbred, Mongolian, and Hybrid horses [first filial generation (F1) of Mongolian (maternal) and Thoroughbred (paternal)] were studied by second-generation high-throughput sequencing technology. Differences in gut microbiota composition and function between breeds were determined using diversity and functional...
Zakia LS, Gomez DE, Caddey BB, Boerlin P, Surette MG, Arroyo LG.Next generation sequencing has demonstrated that alpha diversity of the fecal microbiota is significantly altered in horses with typhlocolitis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the bacterial composition of the cecum content of horses with and without typhlocolitis through direct and culture-enriched 16S gene sequencing of six healthy horses and six horses with acute typhlocolitis; a case-control study design. Cecal content was collected after euthanasia. An aliquot was used for direct 16S gene sequencing. Another was serially diluted with brain heart infusion (BHI) and plated onto f...
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...
Pan J, Ji L, Wu H, Wang X, Wang Y, Wu Y, Yang S, Shen Q, Liu Y, Zhang W, Zhang K, Shan T.Mammals are potential hosts for many infectious diseases. However, studies on the viral communities of herbivorous mammals in the Northwest Plateau are limited. Here, we studied the viral communities of herbivorous mammals in the Northwest Plateau using virus metagenomic analysis to analyze and compare the viral community composition of seven animal species. Results: By library construction and next-generation sequencing, contigs and singlets reads with similar viral sequences were classified into 24 viral families. Analyzed from the perspective of sampling areas, the virus community compositi...
Voss SJ, McGuinness DH, Weir W, Sutton DGM.The role of the equine gastrointestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) is poorly understood. To investigate whether the glandular gastric microbiota is altered in horses with EGGD. Prospective longitudinal study. Five Thoroughbred racehorses from one training center underwent gastroscopy as part of poor performance investigation. Samples were taken from EGGD lesions and adjacent normal mucosa using sheathed transendoscopic cytology brushes and frozen at -80°C. DNA was extracted for 16S rRNA sequencing, and sequences compared against a database to gen...
Boshuizen B, Moreno de Vega CV, De Maré L, de Meeûs C, de Oliveira JE, Hosotani G, Gansemans Y, Deforce D, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Delesalle C.Aleurone, a layer of the bran fraction, is deemed to be responsible for the positive health effects associated with the consumption of whole-grain products. Studies on rodents, pigs, and humans report beneficial effects of aleurone in five main areas: the reduction of oxidative stress, immunomodulatory effects, modulation of energy management, digestive health, and the storage of vitamins and minerals. Our study is the first aleurone supplementation study performed in horses. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an increase in the dose levels of aleurone on the postprandial g...
Różański P, Slaska B, Różańska D.The aim of the study was a quantitative and qualitative analysis of microflora, presentation of current data about prevalence of the microflora on the skin and mucous membranes, and determination of its possible effect on reproduction of English full blood horses bred in Poland. The material for analyses was sampled from the skin and mucous membranes (385 samples) of 55 English full blood mares. Taking into account reproduction traits, the mares were classified into three groups. Six yeast-like species, including five species from the genus Candida (C. albicans, C. guiliermondii, C. lusitaniae...
Sadet-Bourgeteau S, Philippeau C, Dequiedt S, Julliand V.The horse's hindgut bacterial ecosystem has often been studied using faecal samples. However few studies compared both bacterial ecosystems and the validity of using faecal samples may be questionable. Hence, the present study aimed to compare the structure of the equine bacterial community in the hindgut (caecum, right ventral colon) and faeces using a fingerprint technique known as Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA). Two DNA extraction methods were also assessed. Intestinal contents and faeces were sampled 3 h after the morning meal on four adult fistulated horses fed mea...
Paßlack N, van Bömmel-Wegmann S, Vahjen W, Zentek J.Zinc supplements are often used in equine nutrition to support skin and hoof quality or the immune function. However, no data on the effects of dietary zinc on the intestinal microbiota of horses and ponies are available so far. In the present study, varying dietary zinc concentrations (maintenance (4 mg/kg BW/day), 120 mg/kg dry matter (DM)/day and 240 mg/kg DM/day) were achieved by the supplementation of either zinc chloride hydroxide or zinc methionine (six treatment periods of 4 weeks each). Eight healthy adult ponies and two healthy adult horses were included, and faecal samples were coll...
Schoster A, Weese JS, Gerber V, Nicole Graubner C.Fecal water syndrome (FWS) is long-standing and common in horses, particularly in central Europe. No large epidemiological data sets exist, and the cause remains elusive. Dysbiosis could play a role in pathogenesis. Objective: To evaluate whether dysbiosis is present in horses with FWS when compared to stable-matched control horses in spring and autumn. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from horses with FWS (n = 16; 9 mares, 7 geldings) and controls (n = 15; 8 mares, 7 geldings). Methods: The bacterial microbiome of samples collected in spring and autumn of 2016 was analyzed using high-thr...
Du G, Feng W, Cai H, Ma Z, Liu X, Yuan C, Shi J, Zhang B.Composting has been a rational method to dispose of horse or wildlife animal manures, especially in the developed cities with horse clubs and wildlife parks. However, few studies have focused on the mechanism and improvement methods for composting the horse or wildlife animal manures. In this study, we investigated the effect of exogenous compound enzymes on thermophilic composting, which could potentially support the management of horse and wildlife animal manures. With the presence of exogenous enzymes, the duration of high temperature (> 60 °C) was significantly prolonged (p <...
Morrell JM, Rocha A.One of the most commonly encountered challenges in equine breeding is endometritis, which can be difficult to resolve and causes considerable economic losses to the industry. It is a multifactorial condition, developing as an exaggerated form of the normal physiological response to breeding. Seminal plasma proteins, spermatozoa, bacteria and debris initiate an inflammatory response; the resulting fluid and neutrophils are then cleared from the uterus along with the debris. However, in some mares, the response is prolonged or exaggerated, with much fluid formation and neutrophil infiltration le...
Zhu Y, Chen S, Yi Z, Holyoak R, Wang T, Ding Z, Li J. subsp. equi () is the pathogen causing strangles, a highly infectious disease that can affect equids including donkeys of all ages. It can persistently colonize the upper respiratory tract of animals asymptomatically for years, which serves as a source of infection. Several strangles outbreaks have been reported in the donkey industry in China in the last few years and pose a great threat to health, production, and the welfare of donkeys. Nasopharyngeal swab samples for culture and PCR are used widely in strangles diagnosis. Additionally, microbiomes within and on the body are essential to ho...
Chapuis RJJ, Becker AAMJ, Dowling PM, Weese JS.Antimicrobial-associated diarrhoea is a common adverse effect of antimicrobial treatment in horses and has been reported following the administration of oral doxycycline. The administration of antimicrobials has also been associated with changes in the equine intestinal microbiota diversity yet has not been explored under doxycycline treatment. Objective: To describe the dynamics of the faecal microbial diversity following a 5-day oral administration of doxycycline in healthy horses with Streptococcus zooepidemicus infected tissue chambers. Methods: Experimental prospective cohort study in a s...
Żak-Bochenek A, Bajzert J, Sambor D, Siwińska N, Szponar B, Łaczmański Ł, Żebrowska P, Czajkowska A, Karczewski M, Chełmońska-Soyta A.The defensive function of the intestinal mucosa depends both on the ability to secrete immunoglobulin A and communication with the mucus microbiome. In horses, the functioning of this system is also influenced by the presence of nematode eggs. Feces collected from healthy horses were examined to determine the fecal egg count, immunoglobulin A level (ELISA), microbiome composition (Next-Generation Sequencing, NGS, V3−V4 and V7−V9 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene analysis and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production ((high-performance liquid chromatography, HPLC). In the taxonomic ...
Lindroth KM, Dicksved J, Pelve E, Båverud V, Müller CE.Free faecal liquid (FFL) is a condition in horses which manifests as differential defecation of solid and liquid phases of faeces. The etiology of FFL is currently unknown, but deviances in the hindgut microbiota has been suggested to be of importance. The present study aimed to compare the faecal bacterial composition of farm-matched horses with (case, n = 50) and without (control, n = 50) FFL. Samples were collected at three different occasions. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced using Illumina sequencing. Also, samples were cultivated for detecti...
Liu Y, Bailey KE, Dyall-Smith M, Marenda MS, Hardefeldt LY, Browning GF, Gilkerson JR, Billman-Jacobe H.The human and domestic animal faecal microbiota can carry various antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), especially if they have been exposed to antimicrobials. However, little is known about the ARG profile of the faecal microbiota of healthy foals. A high-throughput qPCR array was used to detect ARGs in the faecal microbiota of healthy foals. Objective: To characterise the faecal microbiota and ARG profiles in healthy Australian foals aged less than 1 month. Methods: Observational study. Methods: The faecal microbiota and ARG profiles of 37 Thoroughbred foals with no known gastrointestinal ...
Zhang Z, Wang Y, Zhu M, Wang C.The present study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) and fermentation characteristics of 6 fibrous feedstuffs incubated with donkey cecal or colic microorganisms. The fibrous feeds were corn straw, wheat straw, peanut vine, peanut shell, wheat shell and wheat bran (WB), which are commonly applied in large-scale donkey farms in China. After 48 hours fermentation, the highest IVDMD occurred in WB, and the lowest occurred in peanut shell (P < .05) regardless what inoculum applied. The IVDMD was positively correlated with OM (R = 0.42, P < .01), CP (R ...
Whitfield-Cargile CM, Coleman MC, Cohen ND, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, DeSolis CN, Tetrault T, Sowinski R, Bradbery A, Much M.Gastrointestinal (GI) injury and dysbiosis are adverse events associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use in horses. Phenylbutazone has been shown to alter GI barrier function both in vitro and ex vivo, but its effects on barrier function have not been assessed in vivo. In addition, the ability of nutritional therapeutics to prevent these changes is not known. Objective: Our objectives were to determine whether (a) phenylbutazone affected barrier function in vivo and (b) if phenylbutazone-induced GI injury could be ameliorated by the use of a nutritional therapeutic. Method...
Perricone V, Sandrini S, Irshad N, Comi M, Lecchi C, Savoini G, Agazzi A.To support the overall health of horses, it is essential to maintain an optimal gut health (GH) status, which encompasses several physiological and functional aspects, including the balance and functionality of intestinal microbial populations and, accordingly, the effective digestion and absorption of nutrients. Numerous biotic and abiotic stressors can lead to an imbalance of GH, such as the quality of forages and the composition of diet, e.g., the inclusion of high energy-dense feeds to meet the energy requirements of performance horses. To support the digestive function and the intestinal ...
Kushugulova A, Löber U, Akpanova S, Rysbekov K, Kozhakhmetov S, Khassenbekova Z, Essex M, Nurgozhina A, Nurgaziyev M, Babenko D, Markó L....Probiotics and prebiotics are widely used for recovery of the human gut microbiome after antibiotic treatment. High antibiotic usage is especially common in children with developing microbiome. We hypothesized that dry Mare's milk, which is rich in biologically active substances without containing live bacteria, could be used as a prebiotic in promoting microbial diversity following antibiotic treatment in children. The present pilot study aims to determine the impacts of dry Mare's milk on the diversity of gut bacterial communities when administered during antibiotic treatment and throughout ...
Zhu L, Zeng C, Yang S, Hou Z, Wang Y, Hu X, Senoo K, Wei W.The nutrition and flavor of cheese are generated by the microbial community. Thus, horse milk cheese with unique nutrition and flavor, an increasingly popular local cheese of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, is considered to have diverse and specific bacterial community. To verify this hypothesis, horse, cow, and goat milk cheese samples produced under the same environmental conditions and manufacturing process were collected, and the 16S rRNA gene was targeted to determine the bacterial population size and community composition by real-time quantitative PCR and high-throughput s...
Gerstner K, Liesegang A.Free faecal water (fluid excreted separate from normal faeces) is a common problem of unknown origin in horses. Multifactorial causes are assumed. This study assessed the effect of a commercial product (EMP) sold to help support intestinal health of horses, particularly regarding the occurrence of free faecal water. The hypothesis was that water-binding capacity and microbial activity are improved in the large intestine of horses fed EMP. EMP contained montmorillonite-bentonite, whey and extracts from hop and absinthium. Eight adult and healthy horses kept on the same diet and bedding were add...
Wootton JF, Argenzio RA.The distribution of nitrogen in ligated segments of the stomach and intestine of two groups of ponies has been examined at sacrifice 2, 4, 8, and 12 h following the final 12-h scheduled feeding of diets designed to provide either 1) ample protein, or 2) limited protein plus supplemental urea as the major nitrogen source. Concentrations and total quantities of total N, NH3, urea plus NH3, and alpha-amino N were determined, and protein N was calculated by difference. Liquid marker (PEG) distribution rate constants and N concentrations were used to calculate rates of entry and exit by digesta flo...
Edmunds JL, Worgan HJ, Dougal K, Girdwood SE, Douglas JL, McEwan NR.The present study uses in vitro analytical techniques to investigate the effect of activated charcoal on the microbial community of the equine hindgut and the metabolites they produce. Incubations were performed in Wheaton bottles using a 50 ml incubation of a high-energy feed or a low-energy feed, plus bottles with no added food source, together with five levels of activated charcoal (0, 10, 25, 50 or 100 mg per bottle) and fecal samples as a bacterial inoculum. Using this method the rate of gas production, volatile fatty acid and ammonia concentrations, and pH values were analyzed and found ...
Weinert-Nelson JR, Biddle AS, Sampath H, Williams CA.Integrating warm-season grasses into cool-season equine grazing systems can increase pasture availability during summer months. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of this management strategy on the fecal microbiome and relationships between fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of grazing horses. Fecal samples were collected from 8 mares after grazing cool-season pasture in spring, warm-season pasture in summer, and cool-season pasture in fall as well as after adaptation to standardized hay diets prior to spring grazing and at the end of the grazing seaso...
Goodman-Davis R, Figurska M, Cywinska A.Diarrhea in foals is a problem of significant clinical and economic consequence, and there are good reasons to believe microbiota manipulation can play an important role in its management. However, given the dynamic development of the foal microbiota and its importance in health and disease, any prophylactic or therapeutic efforts to alter its composition should be evidence based. The few clinical trials of probiotic preparations conducted in foals to date show underwhelming evidence of efficacy and a demonstrated potential to aggravate rather than mitigate diarrhea. Furthermore, recent studie...
