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Home / Equine Research Bank / Am J Vet Res / Characterization of the fecal microbiota of healthy horses.
American journal of veterinary research2018; 79(8); 811-819; doi: 10.2460/ajvr.79.8.811

Characterization of the fecal microbiota of healthy horses.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To characterize the fecal microbiota of horses and to investigate alterations in that microbiota on the basis of sample collection site (rectum vs stall floor), sample location within the fecal ball (center vs surface), and duration of environmental exposure (collection time). ANIMALS 6 healthy adult mixed-breed mares. PROCEDURES From each horse, feces were collected from the rectum and placed on a straw-bedded stall floor. A fecal ball was selected for analysis immediately after removal from the rectum and at 0 (immediately), 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours after placement on the stall floor. Approximately 250 mg of feces was extracted from the surface and center of each fecal ball, and genomic DNA was extracted, purified, amplified for the V1-V2 hypervariable region of the 16S rDNA gene, and analyzed with a bioinformatics pipeline. RESULTS The fecal microbiota was unique for each horse. Bacterial community composition varied significantly between center and surface fecal samples but was not affected by collection time. Bacterial community composition varied rapidly for surface fecal samples. Individual bacterial taxa were significantly associated with both sample location and collection time but remained fairly stable for up to 6 hours for center fecal samples. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that, for horses, fecal samples for microbiota analysis should be extracted from the center of fecal balls collected within 6 hours after defecation. Samples obtained up to 24 hours after defecation can be analyzed with the realization that some bacterial populations may deviate from those immediately after defecation.
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Publication Date: 2018-07-31 PubMed ID: 30058849DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.79.8.811Google 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 paper indicates a study that was conducted to understand and illustrate the fecal microbiota of horses. It focused on considering how changes in variables such as collection site, period of environmental exposure and sample location inside the feces could affect the microbiota composition.

Objective and Methodology

  • The main objective of this research was to understand the characteristics of the fecal microbiota of healthy horses and how it could be influenced by different variables. Six healthy adult mixed-breed mares were used for the study.
  • The researchers collected fecal samples directly from the horse’s rectum and placed it on a straw-bedded stall floor. They then selected certain samples for analysis immediately after removing them from the rectum, and again at precisely timed intervals over a 24-hour duration post-excretion. They took measures from the center and surface of each pile of feces at these intervals.
  • The process of analyzing the samples involved the extraction and purification of the genomic DNA. This DNA was amplified for a specific region of the 16S rDNA gene. The results were then analyzed with the aid of a bioinformatics pipeline.

Results and Findings

  • The study found that each horse had a unique fecal microbiota. The composition of bacterial communities was significantly different between samples taken from the center and the surface. Time of collection did not significantly affect this composition.
  • The bacterial composition of surface samples showed rapid changes over time, while individual bacterial taxa were significantly linked to both location of sampling and time of collection. For center fecal samples, these remained fairly stable for up to 6 hours.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

  • From their findings, the researchers concluded that when studying the microbiota of horse feces, the samples should be extracted from the center of the pile within the first 6 hours post-defecation for maximum accuracy.
  • While fecal samples could potentially still be used for analysis up to 24 hours post-defecation, one should bear in mind that there might be some deviations in the bacterial populations as compared to those observed immediately after defecation.

Cite This Article

APA
Stewart HL, Pitta D, Indugu N, Vecchiarelli B, Engiles JB, Southwood LL. (2018). Characterization of the fecal microbiota of healthy horses. Am J Vet Res, 79(8), 811-819. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.79.8.811

Publication

American journal of veterinary research
ISSN: 1943-5681
NlmUniqueID: 0375011
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 79
Issue: 8
Pages: 811-819

Researcher Affiliations

Stewart, Holly L
    Pitta, Dipti
      Indugu, Nagaraju
        Vecchiarelli, Bonnie
          Engiles, Julie B
            Southwood, Louise L

              MeSH Terms

              • Animals
              • Bacteria / classification
              • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
              • Feces / microbiology
              • Female
              • Horses / microbiology
              • Microbiota / genetics
              • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
              • Sequence Analysis, DNA / veterinary
              • Specimen Handling / methods
              • Time Factors

              Citations

              This article has been cited 27 times.
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