Administration of the Postbiotic Substance 412 to Slovak Warm-Blooded Horses: A Pilot Experiment.

Overview

• This study tested the effects of a postbiotic substance (PS 412) produced by a beneficial bacterial strain on the gut microbiota and immune function of Slovak warm-blooded horses.
• The researchers observed changes in microbial populations and immune activity after 21 days of administering PS 412, suggesting potential health benefits.

Introduction to Postbiotics and Study Rationale

• Postbiotic substances (PS) are antimicrobial proteinaceous compounds, including bacteriocins, which can positively influence animal health.
• Previous studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of enterocins (a type of bacteriocin) produced by non-native enterococcal strains in animals.
• This study focuses on PS 412, derived from an autochthonous (native) beneficial bacterial strain named EF 412, to evaluate its effects on horses.

Study Design and Methodology

• Participants: 12 Slovak warm-blooded horses of various ages and breeds.
• Intervention: Oral administration of PS 412 delivered in small feed balls daily for 21 days.
• Sampling points:
  • Day 0/1: Baseline measurements prior to PS 412 administration.
  • Day 21: Immediately after the 21-day PS 412 administration period.
  • Day 42: Three weeks after stopping PS 412 (washout period) to check for lasting effects.
• Controls: Each horse served as its own control by comparing data before and after treatment.

Microbiological Findings

• Significant decreases observed (p values indicate strength of evidence):
  • Enterococci and other lactic acid bacteria (< 0.05 and < 0.001 respectively).
  • Campylobacters, which can include pathogenic species, significantly reduced.
  • Coliform bacteria, aeromonads, and pseudomonads—all potentially harmful bacteria—also decreased with significance (< 0.001 for aeromonads).
• Staphylococci population showed a slight decrease but was not specified as significant.

Microbial Community Analysis via Next-Generation Sequencing

• At the phylum level, 15 bacterial phyla were identified in the horses’ gut microbiota.
• Bacteroidota (around 35%) and Bacillota (around 32%) were the most dominant phyla before treatment.
• After PS 412 treatment, the relative abundance of several phyla declined, indicating that PS 412 altered the overall microbial composition.

Immune and Physiological Effects

• Phagocytic activity—a measure of immune cells’ ability to engulf and destroy pathogens—increased significantly to 69.00 ± 3.91% by day 21.
• Metabolic profiles and hematologic (blood) values mostly remained within normal reference ranges, indicating no adverse health effects during the trial period.

Conclusions and Implications

• PS 412 administration in horses led to reductions in potentially harmful gut bacteria and enhanced innate immune function (phagocytosis).
• The maintenance of normal blood parameters suggests that PS 412 was safe at the tested dosage and duration.
• The study’s limited sample size (12 horses) positions this as a pilot study, requiring further trials to confirm and expand upon these findings.
• Overall, PS 412 shows promise as a supportive agent for equine health potentially by modulating microbiota composition and boosting immune defenses.