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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(12); 2245; doi: 10.3390/ani10122245

Investigation of Oral Microbiome in Donkeys and the Effect of Dental Care on Oral Microbial Composition.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the oral microbial composition of the donkey and whether basic dental treatment, such as dental floating, would make a difference to the oral microbial environment in donkeys with dental diseases using high-throughput bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Oral swab samples were collected from 14 donkeys with various dental abnormalities on day 0 (before treatment) and day 20 (twenty days after treatment). It is the first report focusing on the oral microbiome in donkeys with dental diseases and the impact of common dental procedures thereon. Identified in group Day 0 and group Day 20, respectively, were 60,439.6 and 58,579.1 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Several taxa in Day 0 differed significantly from Day 20 at the phylum and genus levels, but no statistically significant difference was observed in richness and diversity of Day 0 and Day 20. The results also indicated that a larger-scale study focusing on healthy donkey oral microbiome, as well as the correlation of dental diseases and oral microbiomes at different time frames following more specific and consistent dental treatment, are warranted.
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Publication Date: 2020-11-30 PubMed ID: 33266023PubMed Central: PMC7761040DOI: 10.3390/ani10122245Google 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 was conducted to ascertain the composition of the oral bacteria in donkeys and to understand the effect of basic dental treatment, like dental floating, on these oral microbes. The study revealed that dental treatment results in differences at the phylum and genus levels of bacteria, although overall bacterial diversity and richness did not significantly change post-treatment.

Objective of the Study

  • The primary aim of this study was to understand the variety of microorganisms present in the mouth of donkeys, particularly those suffering from dental diseases. Furthermore, the study examined whether routine dental treatment would influence the composition of these oral microbes.

Methodology

  • Research was conducted on 14 donkeys, all suffering from various dental abnormalities. Two series of oral swabs samples were gathered – one before treatment (Day 0) and another twenty days after treatment (Day 20).
  • In order to identify and differentiate the bacterial species, the researchers employed high-throughput bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. It’s a common technique used for studying microbial communities.

Key Findings

  • The Day 0 and Day 20 groups identified 60,439.6 and 58,579.1 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) respectively. An OTU is a term used to classify groups of closely related individuals. The slight decrease in OTUs post-treatment indicates a minor reduction in microbial diversity.
  • Various taxa, groups of one or more populations of organisms, of Day 0 differed significantly from Day 20 at the phylum and genus levels, which suggest that dental care has an impact on some types of bacteria.
  • However, the overall “richness” and “diversity” of the oral microbes did not change significantly. This implies that while some types of bacteria were affected, the total variety and quantity of bacteria did not have a substantial alteration.

Conclusions and Recommendations

  • These findings represent the first concrete research focused specifically on the oral microbiome in donkeys suffering from dental diseases and the impact of usual dental procedures on it.
  • Given these results, the research suggests future larger-scale studies to better understand the oral microbiome in healthy donkeys and to analyze the correlation between dental diseases and oral microbiomes at different time frames following more specific and consistent dental treatments.

Cite This Article

APA
Zhu Y, Jiang W, Holyoak R, Liu B, Li J. (2020). Investigation of Oral Microbiome in Donkeys and the Effect of Dental Care on Oral Microbial Composition. Animals (Basel), 10(12), 2245. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122245

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 12
PII: 2245

Researcher Affiliations

Zhu, Yiping
  • Equine Clinical Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Jiang, Wuyan
  • Equine Clinical Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Holyoak, Reed
  • College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
Liu, Bo
  • Equine Clinical Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
Li, Jing
  • Equine Clinical Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
  1. Ma Q, Yue Y, Kou X, Hou W, Wang M, Yang X, Liu G, Li Y, Wang C. Dynamic Distribution of Skin Microorganisms in Donkeys at Different Ages and Various Sites of the Body. Animals (Basel) 2023 May 7;13(9).
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