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Microbial pathogenesis2015; 94; 76-89; doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2015.11.002

In-depth snapshot of the equine subgingival microbiome.

Abstract: This study explored the range of bacterial taxa present within healthy subgingival (below the gum-line) niches in the horse oral cavity using 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing. Pooled subgingival plaque samples were collected from approximately 200 sulcus sites from two horses (EQ1, EQ2) for analysis. A total of 14,260 quality-filtered pyrosequencing reads were obtained, which were assigned to 3875 operational taxonomic units (OTUs; 99% identity cut-off); 1907 OTUs for EQ1 and 2156 OTUs for EQ2. Diverse taxa from 12 phyla were identified, including Actinobacteria (3.17%), Bacteroidetes (25.11%), Chloroflexi (0.04%), Firmicutes (27.57%), Fusobacteria (5.15%), Proteobacteria (37.67%), Spirochaetes (0.15%), Synergistetes (0.22%), Tenericutes (0.16%), GN02 (0.19%), SR1 (0.01%) and TM7 (0.37%). Many OTUs were not closely related to known phylotypes, and may represent 'equine-specific' taxa. Phylotypes corresponding to Gammaproteobacteria were abundant, including Actinobacillus spp. (8.75%), unclassified Pasteurellaceae (9.90%) and Moraxella spp. (9.58%). PCR targeting the Synergistetes and Spirochaetes phyla was performed, and resultant plasmid libraries of 16S rRNA gene amplicons (ca. 1480 bp) were Sanger sequenced. Twenty-six Spirochaetes OTUs, and 16 Synergistetes OTUs were identified (99% identity cut-off). These 'species-level' OTUs were assigned Equine Oral Taxon (EOT) numbers, whose phylogenies and taxonomy were comprehensively investigated, in conjunction with corresponding Synergistetes and Spirochaetes OTUs identified by pyrosequencing. The vast majority of Spirochaetes taxa belonged to the genus Treponema, which corresponded to 7 of the 10 human oral treponeme phylogroups. Other Spirochaetes taxa belonging to the Leptospiraceae family were observed; but many treponemes commonly implicated in animal hoof/foot and non-oral soft tissue infections; e.g. Treponema phagedenis, Treponema pedis, Treponema refringens, Treponema calligyrum; were not identified here. Diverse Synergistetes taxa corresponding to oral clusters A and B were identified, which included Fretibacterium fastidiosum and Pyramidobacter piscolens. Taken together, our data reveals that equine subgingival plaque microbiota shares many similarities with the human, canine and feline oral microbiomes.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2015-11-10 PubMed ID: 26550763DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2015.11.002Google 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.

The research article is an in-depth study of the diverse range of bacteria present under the gum-line (subgingival) in horse’s oral cavities. The study, employing 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing, made significant discoveries about the number and potential specificity of these bacteria to horses.

Methodology and Results

  • Using the 16S rRNA gene amplicon pyrosequencing technique, the researchers collected pooled subgingival plaque samples from nearly 200 sulcus sites from two horses labeled EQ1 and EQ2.
  • A total of 14,260 quality-filtered pyrosequencing reads were obtained from the samples, further assigned to 3875 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 99% identity cut-off. These OTUs comprised 1907 units for EQ1 and 2156 units for EQ2.
  • The analyze identified a range of diverse bacterial taxa from 12 identified phyla. A significant proportion of these OTUs did not closely resemble known phylotypes, suggesting the possible existence of ‘equine-specific’ bacterial taxa.

Bacterial Taxa Identified

  • The bacterial taxa identified included phyla such as Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, Synergistetes, Tenericutes, GN02, SR1, and TM7.
  • Gamma proteobacteria phylotypes were particularly abundant. They included species like Actinobacillus spp., unspecified Pasteurellaceae, and Moraxella spp.

Synergistetes and Spirochaetes Phyla

  • The study conducted PCR tests targeting the Synergistetes and Spirochaetes phyla, and the 16S rRNA gene amplicons were subject to Sanger sequence.
  • It revealed 26 Spirochaetes OTUs and 16 Synergistetes OTUs at a 99% identity cut-off. These ‘species-level’ OTUs received the designation of Equine Oral Taxon (EOT) numbers for future reference and investigation.
  • Notably, the majority of Spirochaetes taxa belonged to the Treponema genus, including 7 out of 10 human oral treponeme phylogroups. However, certain treponemes associated with animal hoof/foot and non-oral soft tissue infections were not identified in these samples.
  • The study also identified diverse Synergistetes taxa corresponding to oral clusters A and B, including species such as Fretibacterium fastidiosum and Pyramidobacter piscolens.

Comparison with Other Animals

  • The study concluded that the subgingival plaque microbiota in horses shares considerable similarity with those observed in humans, dogs, and cats, highlighting possible parallels in oral health conditions across species and offering potential opportunities for comparative medical studies.

Cite This Article

APA
Gao W, Chan Y, You M, Lacap-Bugler DC, Leung WK, Watt RM. (2015). In-depth snapshot of the equine subgingival microbiome. Microb Pathog, 94, 76-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2015.11.002

Publication

Microbial pathogenesis
ISSN: 1096-1208
NlmUniqueID: 8606191
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 94
Pages: 76-89
PII: S0882-4010(15)00174-6

Researcher Affiliations

Gao, Wenling
  • Oral Diagnosis and Polyclinics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Chan, Yuki
  • Oral Biosciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong SAR, China.
You, Meng
  • Oral Diagnosis and Polyclinics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Lacap-Bugler, Donnabella C
  • Oral Diagnosis and Polyclinics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Leung, W Keung
  • Oral Diagnosis and Polyclinics, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: ewkleung@hkucc.hku.hk.
Watt, Rory M
  • Oral Biosciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, 34 Hospital Road, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: rmwatt@hku.hk.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification
  • Base Sequence
  • Cats
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Dental Plaque / microbiology
  • Dogs
  • Gingiva / microbiology
  • Horses / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Microbiota
  • Mouth / microbiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics

Citations

This article has been cited 20 times.
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