Impact of Dietary Cellobiose on the Fecal Microbiota of Horses.

The research article studies the effects of cellobiose, a disaccharide, on the fecal microbiota in horses. The study found that the presence of cellobiose in horse feed resulted in changes to the fecal microbiota, which could show potential prebiotic effects.

Research Objectives and Methodology

• The main purpose of this study was to understand the effect of cellobiose—a type of disaccharide—on the fecal microbiota of horses. Cellobiose has shown prebiotic effects in other animals, but its impact in horses was not previously studied.
• The study included eight healthy adult horses and two ponies. These animals were given a diet with varying amounts of cellobiose (no cellobiose, 10 g per day, and 20 g per day) for 14 days in each phase of the study.
• Fecal samples were collected at the end of each feeding period and were tested for bacterial metabolites and microbial composition. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used for microbiota analysis.

Findings and Conclusion

• Cellobiose was well tolerated by the horses, and it had a notable impact on the fecal microbiota. Particularly, the lowest concentrations of certain bacterial metabolites—D-lactate, propionic acid, i-valeric acid, and total short-chain fatty acids—were found in the animals given 10g of cellobiose per day.
• There was a dose-dependent change in the relative abundance of certain bacteria. Diet with cellobiose led to an increase of Firmicutes, Coriobacteriales, and Clostridium, but a decrease in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes.
• The authors concluded that the increase in Coriobacteriales and Clostridium may indicate bacterial fermentation of cellobiose in the horse intestine, as both these groups exhibit saccharolytic (sugar breaking down) activity.
• This discovery suggests potential prebiotic benefits of cellobiose for horses. However, the authors advise for further research, particularly to identify the specific species of Clostridium that have been promoted by dietary cellobiose.