Changes in faecal bacteria and metabolic parameters in foals during the first six weeks of life.
Abstract: Many foals develop diarrhoea within the first two weeks of life which has been suggested to coincide with postpartum oestrus in their dams. To analyse the pathogenesis of this diarrhoea we have determined faecal bacteria in foals and their dams (n=30 each), and serum IGF-1 and γ-globulins for 6 weeks after birth. In addition, effects of β-carotene supplementation to mares (group 1: 1000 mg/day, n=15, group 2: control, n=15) on diarrhoea in foals were studied. Diarrhoea occurred in 92 and 79% of foals in groups 1 and 2, respectively, but was not correlated with oestrus in mares. Beta-carotene supplementation was without effect on foal diarrhoea. In mares, bacterial flora remained stable. The percentage of foals with cultures positive for E. coli was low at birth but increased within one day, the percentage positive for Enterococcus sp. was low for 10 days and for Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. was low for 2-4 weeks. By 4 weeks of age, bacterial flora in foals resembled an adult pattern. Concentration of serum IGF-1 was low at birth (group 1: 149 ± 11, group 2: 166 ± 17ng/ml), increased after day 1 (day 7 group 1: 384 ± 30, group 2: 372 ± 36) but at no time differed between groups. Serum γ-globulin concentration in foals was low before colostrum intake and highest on day 1 (p<0.001 over time). In conclusion, neonatal diarrhoea in foals does not coincide with postpartum oestrus in their dams but with changes in intestinal bacteria and is not influenced by β-carotene supplementation given to mares.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2011-03-26 PubMed ID: 21511405DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.03.017Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The study investigates the cause of diarrhea in foals during their first six weeks of life, analyzing their fecal bacteria, serum levels, and the potential influence of their mare’s diet. Despite previous suspicions, neither postpartum estrus in the mare nor beta-carotene supplementation was found to influence diarrhea; but changes in intestinal bacteria were a factor.
Objective and Methodology
- The research aimed to understand the cause of diarrhea commonly faced by foals during their early life, which often coincides with the postpartum estrus of their dams (mothers). It hypothesized that such diarrhea might be related to changes in fecal bacteria and metabolic parameters within the first six weeks of the foal’s life.
- A total of 60 samples were examined, half from the foals and half from their dams. Two subsets of mares were created – a control group and a group supplemented with 1000 mg/day of beta-carotene.
Key Findings
- Diarrhea was recorded in a high percentage of foals (79-92%), but this occurrence did not correlate with the estrus cycle of their dams. This indicates that the mares’ reproductive status does not influence the early-life diarrhea in foals.
- Beta-carotene supplementation in mares’ diets also had no observable influence on the incidents of diarrhea in foals. This disconfirms any potential dietary mitigation strategy for diarrhea prevention via mare beta-carotene supplementation.
- Significant changes in the foal’s intestinal bacterial flora were found in the first few weeks, with specific species of bacteria (E. coli, Enterococcus sp., Streptococcus sp., and Staphylococcus sp.) increasing in count at different stages.
- The fecal bacterial flora of the foals resembled an adult pattern by week four, suggesting that the gut microbiota stabilization might be late contributors to the diarrhea.
- From a metabolic perspective, serum parameters such as insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and gamma globulin levels were low at birth and showed a pattern of increase after the first day regardless of diarrhea incidents. This trend indicated that these parameters are not specific indicators of diarrhea incidence.
Conclusion
- In conclusion, the occurrence of neonatal diarrhea in foals is likely attributed to changes in intestinal bacteria during the first few weeks of life, and not due to mare’s postpartum estrus or the mare’s beta-carotene supplementation.
- This finding helps clarify misunderstandings about foal diarrhea causes and can guide improved care for newborn horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Kuhl J, Winterhoff N, Wulf M, Schweigert FJ, Schwendenwein I, Bruckmaier RM, Aurich JE, Kutzer P, Aurich C.
(2011).
Changes in faecal bacteria and metabolic parameters in foals during the first six weeks of life.
Vet Microbiol, 151(3-4), 321-328.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.03.017 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Graf Lehndorff Institute for Equine Science, Neustadt (Dosse), Germany. juliane.kuhl@vetmeduni.ac.at
MeSH Terms
- Animal Feed
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn / blood
- Animals, Newborn / metabolism
- Animals, Newborn / microbiology
- Bacteria / isolation & purification
- Diarrhea / microbiology
- Estrus
- Feces / microbiology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / metabolism
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses / blood
- Horses / metabolism
- Horses / microbiology
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / analysis
- Intestines / microbiology
- Pregnancy
- beta Carotene / administration & dosage
- gamma-Globulins / analysis
Citations
This article has been cited 20 times.- Zhu D, Li S, Xu Z, Kulyar MF, Bai X, Wang Y, Wang B, Khateeb E, Deng D, Wang L, Chen Y, Guo A, Shen Y. Comparative analysis of gut microbiota in healthy and diarrheic foals. Microbiol Spectr 2025 Mar 19;13(5):e0087124.
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