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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Longitudinal effects of oral administration of antimicrobial...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2023; 37(6); 2562-2572; doi: 10.1111/jvim.16853

Longitudinal effects of oral administration of antimicrobial drugs on fecal microbiota of horses.

Abstract: Antimicrobial drug-associated diarrhea (AAD) is the most common adverse effect in horses receiving antimicrobials. Little information on how oral administration of antimicrobials alters intestinal microbiota in horses is available. Objective: Investigate changes of the fecal microbiota in response to oral administration of antimicrobials. Methods: Twenty healthy horses. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal study. Horses were randomly assigned to 4 groups comprising 4 horses each: group 1 (metronidazole); group 2 (erythromycin); group 3 (doxycycline); group 4 (sulfadiazine/trimethoprim, SMZ-TMP); and group 5 (control). Antimicrobials were administered for 5 days. Fecal samples were obtained before (day 0) and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 30 days of the study period. Fecal microbiota was characterized by high throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA. Results: Horses remained healthy throughout the study. Richness and diversity in doxycycline, erythromycin, and metronidazole, but not SMZ-TMP groups, was significantly lower (P < .05) at multiple time points after administration of antimicrobials compared with samples from day 0. Main changes in the microbiota were observed during the time of antimicrobial administration (day 2-5; weighted and unweighted UniFrac PERMANOVA P < .05). Administration of erythromycin, doxycycline and, to a lesser extent, metronidazole produced a pronounced alteration in the microbiota compared with day 0 samples by decreasing the abundance of Treponema, Fibrobacter, and Lachnospiraceae and increasing Fusobacterium and Escherichia-Shigella. Conclusions: Oral administration of antimicrobials alters the intestinal microbiota of healthy horses resembling horses with dysbiosis, potentially resulting in intestinal inflammation and predisposition to diarrhea.
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2023-09-08 PubMed ID: 37681574PubMed Central: PMC10658497DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16853Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary
  • 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 investigates the changes in intestinal microbiota of healthy horses due to oral administration of various antimicrobials. It concluded that these drugs can potentially alter the horse’s microbiota leading to a state of imbalance, potentially causing intestinal inflammation and predisposing them to diarrhea.

Research Methodology

  • The study was conducted longitudinally and prospectively for a controlled group of 20 healthy horses.
  • The horses were randomly divided into five groups with four horses each. The groups were treated with different drugs: group 1 with metronidazole, group 2 with erythromycin, group 3 with doxycycline, group 4 with sulfadiazine/trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP), and group 5 served as a control group receiving no medicines.
  • The antimicrobial drugs were administered orally for five consecutive days.
  • Fecal samples were collected before the treatment started (day 0) and continued at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 30 days throughout the study period.
  • The fecal microbiota was characterized by performing high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA.

Research Findings

  • All the horses remained healthy throughout the study period.
  • Decreased richness and diversity of the intestinal microbiota were observed in the groups treated with doxycycline, erythromycin, and metronidazole, but not with SMZ-TMP. The changes were statistically significant at multiple time points after the administration of the drugs compared to the samples taken on day 0.
  • Main alterations in the microbiota were noted during the time of antimicrobial administration, specifically between day 2 and day 5.
  • The use of erythromycin, doxycycline, and to a lesser extent, metronidazole, resulted in a considerable alteration of the microbiota compared to the samples from day 0. This included decreased abundance of Treponema, Fibrobacter, and Lachnospiraceae and increased prevalence of Fusobacterium and Escherichia-Shigella.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that the oral administration of antimicrobials could lead to significant alterations in the intestinal microbiota of healthy horses.
  • These alterations resemble a state of imbalance (dysbiosis), which could possibly lead to intestinal inflammation and increase the likelihood of the horses acquiring diarrhea.

Cite This Article

APA
Gomez D, Toribio R, Caddey B, Costa M, Vijan S, Dembek K. (2023). Longitudinal effects of oral administration of antimicrobial drugs on fecal microbiota of horses. J Vet Intern Med, 37(6), 2562-2572. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16853

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 37
Issue: 6
Pages: 2562-2572

Researcher Affiliations

Gomez, Diego
  • Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Toribio, Ramiro
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Caddey, Benjamin
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Costa, Marcio
  • Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire - Département de Biomédecine Vétérinaire, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
Vijan, Stephanie
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Dembek, Katarzyna
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Horses
  • Metronidazole / pharmacology
  • Doxycycline
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Prospective Studies
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Anti-Infective Agents / adverse effects
  • Microbiota
  • Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination
  • Administration, Oral
  • Diarrhea / veterinary
  • Erythromycin

Grant Funding

  • 60048069 / Boehringer-Ingelheim Vetmedica Advancement in Equine Research Initiative Fund
  • GR100639 / Equine Research Funds of The Ohio State University

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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