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PloS one2021; 16(1); e0244381; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244381

Assessment of clinical and microbiota responses to fecal microbial transplantation in adult horses with diarrhea.

Abstract: Fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) is empirically implemented in horses with colitis to facilitate resolution of diarrhea. The purpose of this study was to assess FMT as a clinical treatment and modulator of fecal microbiota in hospitalized horses with colitis. A total of 22 horses with moderate to severe diarrhea, consistent with a diagnosis of colitis, were enrolled at two referral hospitals (L1: n = 12; L2: n = 10). FMT was performed in all 12 patients on 3 consecutive days at L1, while treatment at L2 consisted of standard care without FMT. Manure was collected once daily for 4 days from the rectum in all colitis horses, prior to FMT for horses at L1, and from each manure sample used for FMT. Fecal samples from 10 clinically healthy control horses housed at L2, and 30 healthy horses located at 5 barns in regional proximity to L1 were also obtained to characterize the regional healthy equine microbiome. All fecal microbiota were analyzed using 16S amplicon sequencing. As expected, healthy horses at both locations showed a greater α-diversity and lower β-diversity compared to horses with colitis. The fecal microbiome of healthy horses clustered by location, with L1 horses showing a higher prevalence of Kiritimatiellaeota. Improved manure consistency (lower diarrhea score) was associated with a greater α-diversity in horses with colitis at both locations (L1: r = -0.385, P = 0.006; L2: r = -0.479, P = 0.002). Fecal transplant recipients demonstrated a greater overall reduction in diarrhea score (median: 4±3 grades), compared to untreated horses (median: 1.5±3 grades, P = 0.021), with a higher incidence in day-over-day improvement in diarrhea (22/36 (61%) vs. 10/28 (36%) instances, P = 0.011). When comparing microbiota of diseased horses at study conclusion to that of healthy controls, FMT-treated horses showed a lower mean UniFrac distance (0.53±0.27) than untreated horses (0.62±0.26, P<0.001), indicating greater normalization of the microbiome in FMT-treated patients.
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Publication Date: 2021-01-14 PubMed ID: 33444319PubMed Central: PMC7808643DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244381Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research investigates the impact of fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) on adult horses suffering from colitis and severe diarrhea. The study indicates that FMT not only improves the condition of affected horses by reducing diarrhea, but also seems to help normalize their fecal microbiota.

Method and Trial Design

  • The study included 22 horses showing symptoms of acute colitis— a condition usually marked by severe diarrhea.
  • The horses were treated at two different hospitals— L1 and L2. L1 treated 12 horses with FMT for three consecutive days while L2 used standard care methods for 10 horses, without FMT treatment.
  • Stool samples were collected daily for four consecutive days from all horses. For horses at L1, the samples were obtained before the FMT treatment.
  • To understand the normal, healthy equine microbiome, fecal samples from 10 healthy horses at L2 and 30 healthy horses from five barns near L1, were also collected.

Results

  • Healthy horses at both locations showed significantly higher α-diversity and lower β-diversity compared to the horses affected by colitis.
  • Improvement in the manure consistency, that is, reduction in diarrhea, was associated with higher α-diversity in horses at both locations.
  • Patients subjected to FMT demonstrated a noticeable overall reduction in diarrhea, suggesting the potential efficiency of this treatment.
  • Comparison of the microbiota from sick horses at the culmination of the study to that of healthy horses revealed that FMT-treated horses showed a lower mean UniFrac distance, which means their microbiota was more similar to the healthy horses.

Conclusion

The study provides evidence that FMT not only improves the symptoms of colitis, specifically reducing diarrhea in adult horses but also seems to normalize their fecal microbiota. These findings encourage the further exploration and use of FMT as a treatment option and potential microbiota modulator for colitis in other animals and potentially, humans.

Cite This Article

APA
McKinney CA, Bedenice D, Pacheco AP, Oliveira BCM, Paradis MR, Mazan M, Widmer G. (2021). Assessment of clinical and microbiota responses to fecal microbial transplantation in adult horses with diarrhea. PLoS One, 16(1), e0244381. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244381

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 1
Pages: e0244381

Researcher Affiliations

McKinney, Caroline A
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Bedenice, Daniela
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Pacheco, Ana P
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America.
Oliveira, Bruno C M
  • Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Araçatuba, Brazil.
  • Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Paradis, Mary-Rose
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Mazan, Melissa
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Widmer, Giovanni
  • Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, United States of America.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Colitis / therapy
  • Diarrhea / pathology
  • Diarrhea / therapy
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Horses
  • Microbiota
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Severity of Illness Index

Grant Funding

  • R21 AI125891 / NIAID NIH HHS

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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