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Veterinary sciences2021; 8(6); doi: 10.3390/vetsci8060113

Comparison of the Fecal Microbiota of Horses with Intestinal Disease and Their Healthy Counterparts.

Abstract: (1) Background: The intestinal microbiota plays an essential role in maintaining the host's health. Dysbiosis of the equine hindgut microbiota can alter the fermentation patterns and cause metabolic disorders. (2) Methods: This study compared the fecal microbiota composition of horses with intestinal disease and their healthy counterparts living in Korea using 16S rRNA sequencing from fecal samples. A total of 52 fecal samples were collected and divided into three groups: horses with large intestinal disease (n = 20), horses with small intestinal disease (n = 8), and healthy horses (n = 24). (3) Results: Horses with intestinal diseases had fewer species and a less diverse bacterial population than healthy horses. Lactic acid bacteria, Lachnospiraceae, and Lactobacillaceae were overgrown in horses with large intestinal colic. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B), which is a relevant marker of gut dysbiosis, was 1.94, 2.37, and 1.74 for horses with large intestinal colic, small intestinal colic, and healthy horses, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The overgrowth of two lactic acid bacteria families, Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillaceae, led to a decrease in hindgut pH that interfered with normal fermentation, which might cause large intestinal colic. The overgrowth of Streptococcus also led to a decrease in pH in the hindgut, which suppressed the proliferation of the methanogen and reduced methanogenesis in horses with small intestinal colic.
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Publication Date: 2021-06-17 PubMed ID: 34204317PubMed Central: PMC8234941DOI: 10.3390/vetsci8060113Google 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 explains a study that compared the intestinal bacteria of healthy horses and those with intestinal diseases in Korea. The results showed different patterns of bacteria between healthy and sick horses, suggesting a link between certain bacteria and intestinal diseases.

Background of the Study

  • The researchers opened by discussing the crucial role that intestinal bacteria (known as the microbiota) play in maintaining an organism’s health.
  • They noted that imbalances in the equine (horse) gut microbiota, called dysbiosis, could change fermentation patterns and lead to metabolic disorders.

Methods Implemented

  • The study involved comparing the composition of fecal bacteria in horses with intestinal diseases and healthy horses in Korea.
  • This comparison was done through sequencing of a part of the bacterial RNA (16S rRNA) from the horses’ fecal samples.
  • Fifty-two samples were collected in total, with 20 from horses with large intestinal diseases, 8 from horses with small intestinal diseases, and 24 from healthy horses.

Findings of the Study

  • The researchers found that horses with intestinal diseases had more species of bacteria and lower diversity in their bacterial population than healthy horses.
  • High populations of lactic acid bacteria, Lachnospiraceae, and Lactobacillaceae were found in horses suffering from large intestinal colic (a type of abdominal pain).
  • A ratio known as the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B), which is a marker of gut imbalance, was found to be highest in horses with small intestinal diseases.

Conclusions from the Study

  • The researchers concluded that an overpopulation of two types of lactic acid bacteria – Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillaceae – caused a decrease in the pH levels in a horse’s hindgut (the latter part of the intestine).
  • This decreased pH interfered with the normal fermentation process potentially leading to large intestinal colic.
  • An overpopulation of the same bacteria in the hindgut also caused a pH decrease that inhibited the growth of a type of microorganism called methanogens, resulting in less methanogenesis (production of methane), potentially leading to small intestinal colic.

Cite This Article

APA
Park T, Cheong H, Yoon J, Kim A, Yun Y, Unno T. (2021). Comparison of the Fecal Microbiota of Horses with Intestinal Disease and Their Healthy Counterparts. Vet Sci, 8(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci8060113

Publication

Veterinary sciences
ISSN: 2306-7381
NlmUniqueID: 101680127
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 8
Issue: 6

Researcher Affiliations

Park, Taemook
  • Equine Clinic, Jeju Stud Farm, Korea Racing Authority, Jeju 63346, Korea.
  • College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea.
Cheong, Heetae
  • College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea.
Yoon, Jungho
  • Equine Clinic, Jeju Stud Farm, Korea Racing Authority, Jeju 63346, Korea.
Kim, Ahram
  • Equine Clinic, Jeju Stud Farm, Korea Racing Authority, Jeju 63346, Korea.
Yun, Youngmin
  • College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea.
Unno, Tatsuya
  • Faculty of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, SARI, Jeju 63243, Korea.
  • Subtropical/Tropical Organism Gene Bank, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea.

Grant Funding

  • 2016R1A6A1A03012862 / National Research Foundation of Korea

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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