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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Comparative Semen Microbiota Composition of a Stallion in a ...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(5); doi: 10.3390/ani10050868

Comparative Semen Microbiota Composition of a Stallion in a Taylorella equigenitalis Carrier and Non-Carrier State.

Abstract: Contagious equine metritis is receiving renewed attention due to the continuous detection of carriers in apparent agent-free farms. Interactions of Taylorella with the seminal microflora may be the plausible cause behind these spontaneous changes of the carrier state. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to compare the differences in the seminal microbiome composition of one stallion in the contagious equine metritis carrier state and non-carrier state. Samples were cryopreserved after their extraction. Cell disruption was performed by high-speed homogenization in grinding media. Bacterial families were identified via V3 amplification of the 16S rRNA gene and Ion Torrent sequencing. Only bacterial families with relative abundance above 5% were taken into consideration. The positive sample contained a strong dominance of Corynebacteriaceae (37.75%) and Peptoniphilaceae (28.56%). In the negative sample, the Porphyromonadaceae (20.51%), Bacteroidaceae (19.25%) and Peptoniphilaceae (18.57%) families prevailed. In conclusion, the microbiome seminal composition varies when an individual carries Taylorella from when it is free of it. The wider differences were found in the Corynebacteriaceae, Porphyromonadaceae and Bacteroidaceae families. Due to the limitations of a single-case analysis, further studies are needed for a better understanding of the stallion seminal microflora interactions.
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Publication Date: 2020-05-17 PubMed ID: 32429567PubMed Central: PMC7278458DOI: 10.3390/ani10050868Google 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.

The research article investigates the changes to the semen microbiome composition of a stallion when it carries Taylorella equigenitalis, a bacterium that causes contagious equine metritis, compared to when it does not carry the bacterium.

Objective of the Research

  • The aim of this study was to understand the changes in the seminal microbiome composition of a stallion when they carry Taylorella equigenitalis, a bacterium responsible for contagious equine metritis – a sexually transmitted disease in horses, as opposed to when they do not carry the bacterium.

Methodology

  • The researchers extracted semen samples from a stallion in both a carrier state (carrying the Taylorella equigenitalis bacterium) and a non-carrier state (free from Taylorella equigenitalis).
  • These samples were cryopreserved (frozen at ultra-low temperatures) to maintain their state during the research process.
  • Cell disruption, or the breaking apart of cell structures, was conducted through high-speed homogenization in grinding media, a process intended to free any microbes to be studied.
  • Bacterial families were then identified using a technique called V3 amplification of the 16S rRNA gene followed by Ion Torrent sequencing. This technique allows scientists to analyze and compare bacterial compositions in the samples.
  • For the study, only bacterial families with relative abundance above 5% were taken into account.

Findings

  • In the sample derived from the stallion while carrying Taylorella equigenitalis, the dominant bacterial families found were Corynebacteriaceae (37.75%) and Peptoniphilaceae (28.56%).
  • In the sample from the stallion when it did not carry the bacterium, the dominant bacterial families were Porphyromonadaceae (20.51%), Bacteroidaceae (19.25%) and Peptoniphilaceae (18.57%).
  • The composition of the microbiome within the semen samples thus varied based on whether the stallion was carrying Taylorella equigenitalis, with the widest differences noted in the prevalence of Corynebacteriaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, and Bacteroidaceae families.

Conclusions and Future research directions

  • The research shows that the presence of Taylorella equigenitalis in a stallion does appear to influence the seminal microbiome composition.
  • However, the researchers caution that this study is based on a single-case analysis, indicating the need for further studies to confirm the findings and increase the understanding of the interactions between stallion seminal microflora and the Taylorella equigenitalis bacterium.

Cite This Article

APA
Quiñones-Pérez C, Martínez A, Crespo F, Vega-Pla JL. (2020). Comparative Semen Microbiota Composition of a Stallion in a Taylorella equigenitalis Carrier and Non-Carrier State. Animals (Basel), 10(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10050868

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 5

Researcher Affiliations

Quiñones-Pérez, Carlota
  • Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada, Cría Caballar de las Fuerzas Armadas, Carretera de Madrid Km 395A, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.
Martínez, Amparo
  • Genetics Department, University of Córdoba, edificio Gregor Mendel (C-5), Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
Crespo, Francisco
  • Centro Militar de Cría Caballar de Ávila, Cría Caballar de las Fuerzas Armadas, Calle Arsenio Gutiérrez Palacios, s/n, 05005 Ávila, Spain.
Vega-Pla, José Luis
  • Laboratorio de Investigación Aplicada, Cría Caballar de las Fuerzas Armadas, Carretera de Madrid Km 395A, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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