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Scientific reports2021; 11(1); 4745; doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-83897-4

Faecal bacterial composition in horses with and without free faecal liquid: a case control study.

Abstract: Free faecal liquid (FFL) is a condition in horses which manifests as differential defecation of solid and liquid phases of faeces. The etiology of FFL is currently unknown, but deviances in the hindgut microbiota has been suggested to be of importance. The present study aimed to compare the faecal bacterial composition of farm-matched horses with (case, n = 50) and without (control, n = 50) FFL. Samples were collected at three different occasions. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced using Illumina sequencing. Also, samples were cultivated for detection of Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens. Analysis revealed similar faecal bacterial composition between case and control horses, but an effect of sampling period (p = 0.0001). Within sampling periods, 14 genera were present in higher or lower proportions in case compared to control horses in at least one sampling period. Compared to controls, case horses had higher relative abundance of Alloprevotella (adjusted p < 0.04) and lower relative abundance of Bacillus spp. (adjusted p < 0.03) in at least two sampling periods. All horses tested negative for C. difficile and C. perfringens by culture of faeces. Further studies are required to establish the clinical relevance of specific bacterial taxa in FFL.
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Publication Date: 2021-02-26 PubMed ID: 33637818PubMed Central: PMC7910430DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83897-4Google 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.

This research focused on exploring the faecal bacterial composition differences between horses with a condition known as Free Faecal Liquid (FFL) and those without it. The results showed several differences in the proportion of specific bacteria, even though the overall makeup remained similar.

Objective of the Research

  • The main goal of this study was to uncover the differences in the faecal bacterial composition between horses diagnosed with Free Faecal Liquid (FFL) and healthy ones. FFL is a condition in the horse where the solid and liquid phases of the faeces are defecated separately. The reason behind this condition is not yet precisely known, but it is suspected that it might be related to differences in the microbiota of the horse’s hindgut. The researchers aimed to analyze the bacterial content in the faecal samples from two groups of farm horses – those with FFL (cases) and those without it (controls).

Methodology

  • The faecal samples were taken from both sets of horses (50 each) at three different times. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced using Illumina sequencing, which provides information about the bacterial content.
  • The samples were also cultivated for the detection of specific bacteria, notably Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens. These two bacteria are known to cause disease in horses and could possibly play a role in FFL.

Findings and Conclusions

  • Analysis of the samples didn’t show any significant overall differences between the bacterial composition of the case and control horses. However, the researchers found that the sampling period affected the faecal bacterial composition (p = 0.0001).
  • 14 different bacterial genera were found in varying proportions in case horses as compared to the control group at different sampling periods. More notably, case horses showed higher relative abundance of Alloprevotella and lower abundance of Bacillus spp.
  • All the horses, including the case group, tested negative for Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens.
  • This study has indicated possible links between changes in the bacterial composition in horse faeces and FFL, which warrants further research to establish the clinical implications of these specific bacterial taxa in FFL.

Cite This Article

APA
Lindroth KM, Dicksved J, Pelve E, Båverud V, Müller CE. (2021). Faecal bacterial composition in horses with and without free faecal liquid: a case control study. Sci Rep, 11(1), 4745. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83897-4

Publication

Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
NlmUniqueID: 101563288
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 1
Pages: 4745
PII: 4745

Researcher Affiliations

Lindroth, Katrin M
  • Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. katrin.lindroth@slu.se.
Dicksved, Johan
  • Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
Pelve, Erik
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
Båverud, Viveca
  • National Veterinary Institute, 751 89, Uppsala, Sweden.
Müller, Cecilia E
  • Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Diarrhea / microbiology
  • Diarrhea / veterinary
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome
  • Horse Diseases / microbiology
  • Horses
  • Male
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Surveys and Questionnaires

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
  1. Lindroth KM, Dicksved J, Vervuert I, Müller CE. Chemical composition and physical characteristics of faeces in horses with and without free faecal liquid - two case-control studies. BMC Vet Res 2022 Jan 3;18(1):2.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-021-03096-1pubmed: 34980103google scholar: lookup
  2. Laustsen L, Edwards JE, Hermes GDA, Lúthersson N, van Doorn DA, Okrathok S, Kujawa TJ, Smidt H. Free Faecal Water: Analysis of Horse Faecal Microbiota and the Impact of Faecal Microbial Transplantation on Symptom Severity. Animals (Basel) 2021 Sep 23;11(10).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11102776pubmed: 34679798google scholar: lookup
  3. Lindroth KM, Lindberg JE, Johansen A, Müller CE. Feeding and Management of Horses with and without Free Faecal Liquid: A Case-Control Study. Animals (Basel) 2021 Aug 30;11(9).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11092552pubmed: 34573518google scholar: lookup
  4. Porter MM, Davis DJ, McAdams ZL, Townsend KS, Martin LM, Wilhite C, Johnson PJ, Ericsson AC. Alterations in the Microbiome of Horses Affected with Fecal Water Syndrome. Vet Sci 2025 Jul 31;12(8).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci12080724pubmed: 40872676google scholar: lookup
  5. Wester RJ, Baillie LL, McCarthy GC, Keever CC, Jeffery LE, Adams PJ. Dysbiosis not observed in Canadian horse with free fecal liquid (FFL) using 16S rRNA sequencing. Sci Rep 2024 Jun 5;14(1):12903.
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