Dietary Energy Sources Affect Cecal and Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses.
Abstract: Different energy sources are often used in horse diets to enhance health and performance. Understanding how diet impacts the cecal and fecal microbiota is crucial for meeting the nutritional needs of horses. High-throughput sequencing and qPCR were used to compare the fecal and cecal microbiota of five healthy horses receiving three different diets: hay diet (HAY), hay + starch and sugar (SS), and hay + fiber and oil ingredients (FO). Assessment of short-chain fatty acids, pH, and buffer capacity was also performed. The HAY diet was associated with the highest values of fecal pH; the FO and SS diets were associated with higher values of BC6 in the cecum, and the SS diet had higher BC5 values in feces ( < 0.05). HAY was associated with a lower alpha diversity in feces and with a higher abundance of Treponema, Fibrobacter, Lachnospiraceae AC2044, and Prevotellaceae UCG-003 in feces. SS was associated with a higher abundance of Desulfovibrio, the Lachnospiraceae AC2044 group, and Streptococcus in the cecum, and Streptococcus and Prevotellaceae UCG-001 in feces, while FO was associated with higher Prevotella, Prevotellaceae UCG-003, and Akkermansia in the cecum, and the Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group and Ruminococcus in feces. This study indicated that different energy sources can influence cecal and fecal microbiota composition and fecal diversity without significantly affecting fermentation processes under experimental conditions. These findings suggest that the diets studied may not pose immediate health risks; however, further research is needed to generalize these effects on gastrointestinal microbiota in broader equine populations.
Publication Date: 2024-12-03 PubMed ID: 39682460PubMed Central: PMC11639918DOI: 10.3390/ani14233494Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article examines how three different diets affect the gut microbiota of healthy horses. The study suggests that while different energy sources impact the composition and diversity of gut microbiota, they may not significantly affect the fermentation processes.
Methodology
- The researchers used high-throughput sequencing and qPCR methods to conduct their study.
- Five healthy horses were subjected to three types of diets: a hay diet (HAY), a hay diet supplemented with starch and sugar (SS), and a hay diet supplemented with fiber and oil (FO).
- The horse’s cecal and fecal microbiota were compared after consuming these diets.
- The levels of short-chain fatty acids, pH, and buffer capacity in the horses on different diets were also assessed.
Results
- The HAY diet was linked to the highest fecal pH values, indicating a more alkaline environment.
- The FO and SS diets had higher values of BC6, a type of buffer capacity, in the cecum, suggesting they may impact the overall health of this section of the gut.
- The SS diet had higher BC5 values in the feces, pointing to increased gut health with this diet.
- Horses on different diets harbored different compositions of fecal and cecal microbiota. For example, the HAY diet was associated with a higher abundance of certain bacterial species such as Treponema, Fibrobacter, Lachnospiraceae AC2044, and Prevotellaceae UCG-003 in the feces. Similarly, both SS and FO diets encouraged the growth of different bacterial species in the cecum and feces.
Conclusion
- The study concluded that dietary energy sources can influence the composition and diversity of horses’ cecal and fecal microbiota, although they do not seem to significantly affect the fermentation processes under the experimental conditions.
- The results suggest that these three diets may not pose immediate health risks to horses. However, the authors caution that further research is needed to generalize the effects of these diets on the gut microbiota in a larger equine population.
Cite This Article
APA
Brandi LA, Nunes AT, Faleiros CA, Poleti MD, Oliveira ECM, Schmidt NT, Sousa RLM, Fukumasu H, Balieiro JCC, Brandi RA.
(2024).
Dietary Energy Sources Affect Cecal and Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses.
Animals (Basel), 14(23), 3494.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14233494 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA), University of São Paulo (USP), Pirassununga 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil.
Grant Funding
- 2020/12753-7 / Fundau00e7u00e3o de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Su00e3o Paulo (FAPESP)
- Finance Code 001 / Coordenau00e7u00e3o de Aperfeiu00e7oamento de Pessoal de Nu00edvel Superior - Brasil (CAPES)
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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