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.
Glinsky MJ, Smith RM, Spires HR, Davis CL.Three experiments, each utilizing three ponies, were conducted using a mixed VFA solution of [1−14C] acetate, [1−14C] propionate and [2–33H] butyrate to determine VFA production rates in the cecum of the pony. Diet A used in experiment 1, contained a forage to grain ratio of 1:2, while diet B, used in experiments 2 and 3, contained a forage to grain ratio of 3:1. Experiment 1, in which a constant infusion technique was used, resulted in net VFA production rates (mmoles/min) of 3.667 to 3.977 (x̄=3.836) for acetate, .410 to 1.664 (x̄=1.213) for propionate and .342 to 1.124 (x̄=.629) fo...
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...
Frape DL.The majority of recent experiments in equine nutrition relates to the metabolism of protein, non-protein nitrogen, carbohydrate, calcium and phosphorus. An understanding of the significance of the nitrogen cycle is emerging in which there is a two-way movement of compounds across the wall of the G.I. tract. Some quantitative estimates of the role of microflora in this process have been made for comparison with similar processes in ruminants. However, the pathway by which the microflora contributes to the nitrogen economy and the extent to which this occurs is not established in the horse. It i...
Davies ME.This research article investigates the role of colon liquor – fluid from the colon of a horse – in cultivating cellulolytic bacteria, which break down cellulose. The researchers aim to […]
Yerlikaya Z, Miranda-CasoLuengo R, Jahns H, Byrne O, Meijer WG, Mulcahy G, Walshe N.Cyathostomins are the most prevalent and currently considered the most pathogenic gastrointestinal nematodes in horses. Their life cycle includes an encystment phase within the large intestinal mucosa, where up to 90 % of the total worm burden resides. Clinical disease ranges from chronic protein-losing enteropathy to acute, sometimes fatal, typhlocolitis. Despite their significance, the ecological interplay between cyathostomins, the host immune response, and the gut microbiota remains poorly understood. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate these interactions at the mucos...
Hart KJ, Hegarty MJ, Hart EH.It is more evident that horse health is linked to the gastrointestinal tract and microbial community structure (MCS) as affected by diet. There are many marketed feeds available to enhance nutrition for horses, however the effects of these feeds on hindgut MCS are largely unknown. Objective: The aim was to test the effect of a complementary forage feed (FF) on the fermentation profile and MCS in contrasting basal diets. Methods: A 2×2 factorial design was used to assess the effect of basal diet, forage only (FOR) or forage/concentrate (MIX), and presence/absence of FF on fermentation paramete...
Bustamante CC, Pereira PAM, Fernandes CC, Canola PA, Doria RGS, Costa MC, Valadão CAA.Starch overload induces dysbiosis primarily through a reduction in cecal pH. This study aimed to evaluate the cecal microbiota following excessive starch intake, with or without the administration of an intracecal buffering solution. We hypothesized that the buffering solution would mitigate changes in the intestinal microbiota and associated clinical signs. Ten horses were randomly assigned to two groups, each receiving distinct treatments (Group I: saline solution [WSa] and starch-buffer [SB]; Group II: buffer-water [WB] and starch-saline [SSa]). Following starch overload (17.6 g/kg body wei...
Li M, Lin J, Ma C, Wei G, Hu Q, Li X.L-selenomethionine (L-SeMet), a highly bioavailable organic form of selenium, plays a critical role in maintaining antioxidant homeostasis, regulating reproductive hormone secretion, and improving intestinal microbial ecology. Previous studies have demonstrated that appropriate supplementation with L-SeMet can significantly enhance the production performance and health status of ruminants. However, the nutritional regulatory mechanisms and physiological effects of L-SeMet in monogastric herbivores, particularly horses during mid- to late gestation, remain inadequately understood. Therefore, th...
Bouverat VMA, Pradervand N, Wichert BA, Greim E, Dolf GJ, Gerber V.Hay quality is a key factor in equine respiratory health, with microbiological contaminants in inhaled organic dust posing significant risks. Sensory assessment has been used to evaluate hay hygiene, but its value to identify deficiencies remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential of sensory assessment to predict both particulate matter (PM) dust concentrations and microbiological contamination. Fifty hay samples were collected from horse owners and evaluated using a structured sensory examination, microbiological analyses, and dust concentration measurements obtained with the ...
Wei J, Wei L, Ullah A, Geng M, Zhang X, Wang C, Khan MZ, Wang C, Zhang Z.Herbivorous animals rely on complex gastrointestinal systems and microbial communities to efficiently digest plant-based diets, extract nutrients, and maintain health. Recent advances in metagenomic technologies have enabled high-resolution, culture-independent analysis of gut microbiota composition, functional potential, and host-microbe interactions, providing insights into microbial diversity across the herbivore digestive tract. This review summarizes key findings on the gastrointestinal microbiota of herbivores, focusing on ruminant foregut and non-ruminant hindgut fermentation. Ruminants...
Bettio MK, Vidal T, Rose JJ, Jois M, Flavel M, Petrovski S.The gastrointestinal microbiota plays a critical role in horse health and performance. While sugarcane-derived polyphenols have shown microbiota-modulating properties in other species, their effects in horses remain unexplored. Objective: This study investigated whether supplementation with a sugarcane-derived polyphenol feed material modulates the hindgut microbiota of healthy adult horses. Methods: An observational longitudinal study was conducted on six horses over 12 weeks. Faecal samples were collected at three time points: baseline (P1), during supplementation (P2), and post-supplementat...
Boshuizen B, Willems M, De Maré L, Hosotani G, De Oliveira JE, Horemans B, Vidal Moreno De Vega C, Verdegaal EJMM, Delesalle C.Aleurone, a bioactive wheat bran component, has been shown to modulate host metabolism and gut microbiota, but its effects across different compartments of the equine gastrointestinal (GI) tract remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize aleurone-derived metabolite profiles using an fermentation model with digesta from three equine GI compartments (jejunum, cecum, and colon). Unassigned: Three substrates (control feed, aleurone-containing feed, and pure aleurone) were fermented over 72 h, and targeted metabolomics was performed on 38 metabolites. Unassigned: Significant substrate...
Schüler MA, Daniel R, Poehlein A.We provide the complete genome of a non-toxigenic strain isolated from horse feces. The strain represents a sub-cluster in the cryptic clade C-III. The genome consists of one chromosome (4,144,784 bp) and one plasmid (10,144 bp) and encodes 3,798 putative genes.
Aydin A, Sudagidan M, Abdramanov A, Yurt MNZ, Mamatova Z, Ozalp VC.Domestic horses could be bred for leisure activities and meat production, as is already the case in many countries. Horse meat is consumed in various countries, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and with the increase in this consumption, horses are registered as livestock by the Food and Agricultural Organization. In this study, horse meat microbiota of horse samples ( = 56; 32 samples from Kazakhstan and 24 samples from Kyrgyzstan) from two countries, Kazakhstan ( = 3) and Kyrgyzstan ( = 1), were investigated for the first time by next-generation sequencing and metabarcoding analysis. The ...
Amaral Júnior FP, Souza de Sousa CE, Rafael de Almeida Moreira B, Rodrigues Alves BJ, Longhini VZ, da Silva Cardoso A, Ruggieri AC.There is an important gap in how variations in herbivore dung composition affect GHG emissions on pastures, especially due to differences in dry matter (DM) and nitrogen contents. Oversimplifications can compromise the accuracy of mitigation strategies. This study aims to address this gap by investigating how the chemical composition of dung from different species influences GHG emissions in pasture systems. The results showed that drier dung led to higher cumulative N₂O emissions. The highest emissions were observed from goat at 9.47 mg N-N₂O g⁻ dry soil, followed by sheep at 5.95 mg ...
Wang R, Ren W, Liu S, Li Z, Li L, Ma S, Yao X, Meng J, Zeng Y, Wang J.This study aimed to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of mare milk by analyzing immune markers in mice following gavage of mare milk. Metagenomic sequencing was employed to examine variations in the composition and functional profiles of the intestinal microbiota across different experimental groups. Bacterial diversity, abundance, and functional annotations of gut microbiota were evaluated for each group. The results show that, compared to the control group, the mare milk group exhibited a significant decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 levels and a significant increase in se...
Ma Y, Zhang J, Li X, Zhao H, Lu W, Li H, Yang K.Anthelmintic treatment is widely used in equine health management to control parasitic infections; however, its potential effects on the gut microbiota and metabolic characteristics remain poorly understood. In this study, twelve Yili horses were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group (C), which received no anthelmintic treatment, and a Miechongshu-treated group (T), which was orally administered Miechongshu at a dose of 0.36 g/kg body weight on day 0. Fecal samples were collected from the rectums of Yili horses on day 14 after administration, and differences in gut microbial composi...
Ma R, Wang C.Gut microbiota is vital to host health, involving many aspects including immunity, metabolism and digestion. Exercise is recognized as a significant factor influencing the gut microbiota. However, the effects of exercise on the gut microbiota in horses remain unclear. Here, this study aims to investigate the effects of exercise on the gut bacterial and fungal communities in the horses using 16S rDNA and ITS genes amplicon sequencing. Results indicated that exercise significantly increased the ACE, Chao1 and Shannon indices of the gut bacterial community, accompanied by significant alterations ...
The animal microbiome plays a crucial role in determining the health, productivity, and welfare of livestock species, including sheep, horses, cattle, camel, and chicken. These animal species were selected due to the high consumption of their products in Kazakhstan. Enhancing their productivity, while maintaining the safety and quality of meat and milk derived from them, represents a pressing research priority. This review article includes current research on the composition, diversity, and purposes of the microbiota found within different organ systems of these species. This study focuses on ...
