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PloS one2012; 7(7); e41484; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041484

Comparison of the fecal microbiota of healthy horses and horses with colitis by high throughput sequencing of the V3-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene.

Abstract: The intestinal tract houses one of the richest and most complex microbial populations on the planet, and plays a critical role in health and a wide range of diseases. Limited studies using new sequencing technologies in horses are available. The objective of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiome of healthy horses and to compare the fecal microbiome of healthy horses to that of horses with undifferentiated colitis. A total of 195,748 sequences obtained from 6 healthy horses and 10 horses affected by undifferentiated colitis were analyzed. Firmicutes predominated (68%) among healthy horses followed by Bacteroidetes (14%) and Proteobacteria (10%). In contrast, Bacteroidetes (40%) was the most abundant phylum among horses with colitis, followed by Firmicutes (30%) and Proteobacteria (18%). Healthy horses had a significantly higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Spirochaetes while horses with colitis had significantly more Fusobacteria. Members of the Clostridia class were more abundant in healthy horses. Members of the Lachnospiraceae family were the most frequently shared among healthy individuals. The species richness reported here indicates the complexity of the equine intestinal microbiome. The predominance of Clostridia demonstrates the importance of this group of bacteria in healthy horses. The marked differences in the microbiome between healthy horses and horses with colitis indicate that colitis may be a disease of gut dysbiosis, rather than one that occurs simply through overgrowth of an individual pathogen.
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Publication Date: 2012-07-31 PubMed ID: 22859989PubMed Central: PMC3409227DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041484Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 study broadens our understanding about the fecal microbiome of horses: Comparing healthy horses to those with colitis, it unpacks the complexities of such ecosystems, hinting towards gut dysbiosis as a root cause for colitis rather than an individual pathogen overgrowth.

Objective and Methodology

  • The research aimed to study and compare the fecal microbiome of healthy horses and horses with undifferentiated colitis.
  • The authors used high throughput sequencing for the V3-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene to achieve their objective.
  • A total of 195,748 sequences were analyzed that were obtained from six healthy horses and ten horses affected by undifferentiated colitis.

Results and Observations

  • Among healthy cohort, Firmicutes was found to predominate (68%), followed by Bacteroidetes (14%) and Proteobacteria (10%).
  • Interestingly, horses with colitis presented a vastly different profile, with Bacteroidetes being the most abundant phylum (40%), followed by Firmicutes (30%) and Proteobacteria (18%).
  • The study identified a significantly higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Spirochaetes in healthy horses.
  • Conversely, horses suffering from colitis experienced significantly larger quantities of Fusobacteria.
  • Furthermore, Clostridia class was found to be more abundant in healthy horses, indicating a possible role in maintaining their health.
  • The most frequently shared family among healthy horses was found to be Lachnospiraceae.

Conclusion and Implications

  • The research confirms and reports the high species richness and complexity of the equine intestinal microbiome.
  • The major takeaway is the marked differences in the microbiome of healthy horses and those with colitis, suggesting that colitis might result from gut dysbiosis—a microbial imbalance inside the body—rather than being a result of the overgrowth of an individual pathogen.

Cite This Article

APA
Costa MC, Arroyo LG, Allen-Vercoe E, Stämpfli HR, Kim PT, Sturgeon A, Weese JS. (2012). Comparison of the fecal microbiota of healthy horses and horses with colitis by high throughput sequencing of the V3-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene. PLoS One, 7(7), e41484. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041484

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 7
Issue: 7
Pages: e41484

Researcher Affiliations

Costa, Marcio C
  • Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. costamc@gmail.com
Arroyo, Luis G
    Allen-Vercoe, Emma
      Stämpfli, Henry R
        Kim, Peter T
          Sturgeon, Amy
            Weese, J Scott

              MeSH Terms

              • Animals
              • Colitis / microbiology
              • Colitis / veterinary
              • Feces / microbiology
              • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
              • Horse Diseases / microbiology
              • Horses
              • Metagenome
              • Models, Genetic
              • Phylogeny
              • Principal Component Analysis
              • RNA, Bacterial / genetics
              • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
              • Sequence Analysis, DNA

              Conflict of Interest Statement

              Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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              Citations

              This article has been cited 210 times.
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