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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2024; 14(16); doi: 10.3390/ani14162396

Gut Microbiota Profiling as a Promising Tool to Detect Equine Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Abstract: Gastrointestinal disorders are common and debilitating in horses, but their diagnosis is often difficult and invasive. Fecal samples offer a non-invasive alternative to assessing the gastrointestinal health of horses by providing information about the gut microbiota and inflammation. In this study, we used 16S sequencing to compare the fecal bacterial diversity and composition of 27 healthy horses and 49 horses diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We also measured fecal calprotectin concentration, a marker of intestinal inflammation, in healthy horses and horses with IBD. We found that microbiota composition differed between healthy horses and horses with IBD, although less than five percent of the variation in microbiota composition was explained by individual health status and age. Several differentially abundant bacterial taxa associated with IBD, age, or body condition were depleted from the most dominant Firmicutes phylum and enriched with the Bacteroidota phylum. An artificial neural network model predicted the probability of IBD among the test samples with 100% accuracy. Our study is the first to demonstrate the association between gut microbiota composition and chronic forms of IBD in horses and highlights the potential of using fecal samples as a non-invasive source of biomarkers for equine IBD.
Publication Date: 2024-08-18 PubMed ID: 39199930PubMed Central: PMC11350833DOI: 10.3390/ani14162396Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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 article discusses how profiling the gut microbiota can be a helpful tool in detecting Equine Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a common GI disorder in horses that can be difficult and invasive to diagnose.

Research Objective and Methods

  • The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of fecal samples as a non-invasive method for assessing the gut health of horses, specifically in relation to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  • To this end, the researchers undertook 16S sequencing, a scientific technique used for classifying and identifying bacteria within a sample. This technique was applied to compare the fecal bacterial diversity and composition of 27 healthy horses and 49 horses diagnosed with IBD.
  • In addition to this, the team measured concentrations of fecal calprotectin, a biomarker indicative of intestinal inflammation.

Research Findings

  • One of the key findings was that the composition of the gut microbiota was different between healthy horses and those with IBD. However, individual health status and age only explained less than five percent of the microbiota variations.
  • They also found that multiple bacterial taxa associated with IBD, age or body condition were absent from the predominant Firmicutes phylum and enriched with Bacteroidota phylum.
  • A significant outcome of this study was that an Artificial Neural Network model was able to predict the likelihood of IBD in the test samples with 100% accuracy.

Implications of Research

  • This research is the first to establish an association between gut microbiota composition and chronic forms of IBD in horses. It offers a path forward in the detection of this disease.
  • The results emphasize the importance and potential of utilizing non-invasive methods, like analyzing fecal samples, for identifying biomarkers for equine IBD.
  • These findings may help provide more comfortable, less invasive, and more accurate diagnostic methods for IBD in horses in the future.

Cite This Article

APA
Sävilammi T, Alakangas RR, Häyrynen T, Uusi-Heikkilä S. (2024). Gut Microbiota Profiling as a Promising Tool to Detect Equine Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Animals (Basel), 14(16). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162396

Publication

ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 16

Researcher Affiliations

Sävilammi, Tiina
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland.
  • Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland.
Alakangas, Rinna-Riikka
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland.
Häyrynen, Tuomas
  • Laukaa Horse Hospital, Ravitie 4, 41330 Vihtavuori, Finland.
Uusi-Heikkilä, Silva
  • Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland.

Grant Funding

  • 325107 / Academy of Finland

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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