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Effect of maternal diet on select fecal bacteria of foals.
Abstract: Adult horses depend on the microbial community in the hindgut to digest fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids that are use for energy. Colonization of the foal gastrointestinal tract is essential to develop this symbiosis. However, factors affecting colonization are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the age-related changes and effects of maternal diet on select fecal bacterial groups in foals from 1 to 28 d of age. Thoroughbred foals ( = 18) were from dams fed forage and one of two concentrates: an oat-based (OB) or corn and wheat middlings-based (CWB) pelleted concentrate. The mares had access to assigned concentrates, along with a mixed hay and cool-season grass pasture, 28 d before and 28 d after parturition. Fecal samples were collected from foals at 1 d (14 to 36 h), 4, 14, and 28 d after birth. Fecal samples were serially diluted with phosphate-buffered saline before inoculation of enriched, selective media to enumerate spp., amylolytic bacteria, and cellulolytic bacteria. Enumeration data were log-transformed then analyzed with mixed model analysis of variance with repeated measures (SAS 9.3) to test the main effects of maternal diet (OB or CWB), time of sample, and interaction between maternal diet and time. Cellulolytic bacteria first appeared in foal feces between 4 and 14 d of age and increased with age ( < 0.05). Amylolytic bacteria and lactobacilli were abundant at 1 d and then increased with age ( < 0.05). There was an interaction between maternal diet and time for spp. with OB foals having more lactobacilli than CWB foals at 1 and 4 d ( 0.05). Maternal diet did not influence amylolytic or cellulolytic bacteria ( > 0.05). These results indicate that colonization of the hindgut is a sequential process beginning early in the foal's life and that maternal diet may influence some bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of foals.
© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.
Publication Date: 2018-12-24 PubMed ID: 32704792PubMed Central: PMC7200522DOI: 10.1093/tas/txy141Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
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 study investigates how a mother horse’s diet influences the development of certain types of bacteria in the gut of newborn (foals). The study showed that the bacterial colonization of the foal’s gut is a sequential process beginning early in life, and that the mother’s diet affects this development to some extend though not all types of bacteria are influenced.
Overview of the Research
- The research primarily aimed to understand the changes in some bacterial groups within the gut of newborn horses (foals) related to their age and their mother’s diet from the first to the 28th day of life.
- To conduct the research, two groups of Thoroughbred foals and their mothers were selected. The mothers in each group were fed different diets: one oat-based concentrate (OB) and the other a mix of corn and wheat middlings-based (CWB) pelleted concentrate.
- The researchers also collected fecal samples from the foals at different intervals: 1 day, 4 days, 14 days, and 28 days post birth. These samples were used to enumerate the population of various bacteria, including cellulolytic bacteria, amylolytic bacteria, and Lactobacillus species.
Findings of the Study
- The study found that cellulolytic bacteria begin to appear in foal feces between 4 and 14 days of age and their numbers increase as the foal ages.
- Amylolytic bacteria and lactobacilli, on the other hand, were present in abundance right from the first day and their numbers also increased as the foal grew.
- The study also revealed an interaction between the maternal diet and the time of sample for Lactobacillus species. OB foals had more lactobacilli than CWB foals at day one and day four. However, this difference disappeared by the 14th day.
- In contrast, the mother’s diet did not show any influence on the numbers of amylolytic or cellulolytic bacteria.
Conclusion
- Based on the results of the study, the researchers concluded that the colonization of a foal’s gut by specific bacterial groups is a sequential process that begins early in life.
- They also concluded that the mother’s diet can influence the population of certain bacteria, like the Lactobacillus species, within the foal’s gut, although not all bacterial populations are affected by the mother’s diet.
Cite This Article
APA
Pyles MB, Fowler AL, Bill VT, Harlow BE, Crum AD, Hayes SH, Flythe MD, Lawrence LM.
(2018).
Effect of maternal diet on select fecal bacteria of foals.
Transl Anim Sci, 3(1), 204-211.
https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txy141 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Forage-Animal Production Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
- Forage-Animal Production Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Lexington, KY.
- Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
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Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Pyles M, Agbana M, Hayes S, Flythe M, Lawrence L. The Establishment of Fibrolytic Bacteria in the Foal Gastrointestinal Tract Is Related to the Occurrence of Coprophagy by Foals. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 26;13(17).
- Wang X, Shao Y, Zhou X, Li Z, Liu J, Tang M, Yang Y, Deng L. Dynamic Changes in the Gut Microbiota During Peripartum in Jennies. Animals (Basel) 2025 May 6;15(9).
- Huang X, Li Q, Li X, Li C, Li J, He L, Jing H, Yang F, Li X. Effects of different grain types on nutrient apparent digestibility, glycemic responses, and fecal VFA content in weaned foals. BMC Vet Res 2025 Apr 14;21(1):273.
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