Abstract: Anaerobic fungi are effective fibre-degrading microorganisms in the digestive tract of horses. However, our understanding of their diversity and community structure is limited, especially in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. For the first time, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyse and predict fungal microbial diversity in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract of Mongolian horses. The results revealed that the richness and diversity of fungi in the hindgut of Mongolian horses were much higher than those in the foregut. The foregut was dominated by Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, whereas the hindgut was dominated by Neocallimastigomycota and Basidiomycota. At the genus level, the relative abundance of many pathogenic fungi (Cryptococcus, Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Sarocladium) in the foregut was significantly higher than that in the posterior gut, indicating that Mongolian horses have strong disease resistance. The prediction of fungal function also showed significant differences in the fungal flora between the foregut and the hindgut. The fungi in Mongolian horses' foreguts were mainly pathologically nutritive and contained many animal and plant pathogens, particularly in the small intestine (jejunum and ileum). This indicates that the foregut may be the most important immune site in the digestive system of Mongolian horses, which explains the high disease resistance of Mongolian horses. The number of unassigned functional groups in the posterior gut was significantly higher than that in the anterior gut, indicating that the functions of fungal groups in the posterior gut have not been fully explored, and further studies are required in the future. Analysis of high-throughput sequencing results revealed that the fungal composition varied greatly among different gastrointestinal tract segments in Mongolian horses, whose hindgut contains many anaerobic fungi involved in plant cellulose degradation. This provides important basic data for studying fungal diversity in the digestive system of healthy horses, which can be used for the health assessment of horses and provides clues for further research on the disease resistance and digestive capacity of horses, as well as a reference for the early diagnosis of intestinal diseases and innovative treatment methods.
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The research study focused on the differences in the diversity and functional capacity of fungal communities present within different parts of the gastrointestinal tract of Mongolian horses. Using high-throughput sequencing technology, researchers discovered contrasting fungal presence in the foregut and hindgut of these horses, indicating different fungal roles between the two regions.
Study Methodology
The study employed high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze and predict the fungal diversity within the gastrointestinal tract of Mongolian horses.
Different sections of the gastrointestinal tract were examined, and the fungal community structure in these areas were compared.
Findings and Results
Richness and diversity of fungi were significantly higher in the hindgut than in the foregut.
Populations of fungi varied between these parts. Basidiomycota and Ascomycota primarily dominated in the foregut while Neocallimastigomycota and Basidiomycota were more common in the hindgut.
Pathogenic fungi such as Cryptococcus, Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Sarocladium were more prevalent in the foregut, implying a greater disease resistance in Mongolian horses.
Fungal function also differed between the two regions, with the foregut containing mainly pathogenic nutritive fungi, including many animal and plant pathogens.
Undetermined functional groups were more prevalent in the hindgut, indicating unexplored potential functionalities of these fungal groups.
Implications and Conclusions
The fungal composition varied immensely among different gastrointestinal tract segments in Mongolian horses serving as an indication of the different roles these fungal communities play.
The higher presence of fungi related to plant cellulose degradation in the hindgut suggests their crucial role in the digestion process of the horse.
The data gathered provides valuable insights for health assessments of horses, and serves as a basis for further exploration of disease resistance, digestive capacity, and potential early diagnostic measures for intestinal diseases among horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Zhao Y, Ren X, Wu H, Hu H, Cheng C, Du M, Huang Y, Zhao X, Wang L, Yi L, Tao J, Li Y, Lin Y, Su S, Dugarjaviin M.
(2023).
Diversity and functional prediction of fungal communities in different segments of mongolian horse gastrointestinal tracts.
BMC Microbiol, 23(1), 253.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-023-03001-w
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Ren, Xiujuan
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Wu, Haiqing
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Biotechnology Research Centre, Hohhot, 010031, China.
Hu, He
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Biotechnology Research Centre, Hohhot, 010031, China.
Cheng, Chao
College of Life Science and Technology, Jining Normal University, Ulanqab, 012000, China.
Du, Ming
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Huang, Yao
Education Department, Baotou Light Industry Vocational Technical College, Baotou, China.
Zhao, Xiaoqing
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Biotechnology Research Centre, Hohhot, 010031, China.
Wang, Liwei
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Biotechnology Research Centre, Hohhot, 010031, China.
Yi, Liuxi
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Tao, Jinshan
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Li, Yajing
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Lin, Yanan
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China.
Su, Shaofeng
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China. sushaofeng2020@163.com.
Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Biotechnology Research Centre, Hohhot, 010031, China. sushaofeng2020@163.com.
Dugarjaviin, Manglai
College of Animal Science, Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Equine Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Equine Research Centre, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010018, China. dmanglai@163.com.
MeSH Terms
Horses
Animals
Mycobiome
Disease Resistance
Ileum
Jejunum
Digestion
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no competing interests.
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