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Home / Equine Research Bank / Front Vet Sci / Microbiological effect of topically applied Weissella cibari...
Frontiers in veterinary science2025; 11; 1493756; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1493756

Microbiological effect of topically applied Weissella cibaria on equine pastern dermatitis.

Abstract: Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD) is a multifactorial disease with a change in the skin microbiome. The present study monitored the influence of Weissella cibaria Biocenol™ 4/8 D37 CCM 9015 stabilized on alginite on the skin microbiota of healthy horses and model patients with EPD. Based on clinical signs, EPD lesions were identified as exudative or proliferative forms. A comparison of the initial microbial community based on 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between healthy vs. exudative (R = 0.52, p = 0.003) and exudative vs. proliferative communities (R = 0.78, p = 0.043). The healthy skin microbiota was dominated by the families Corynebacteriaceae (19.7 ± 15.8%) and Staphylococcaceae (15.8 ± 10.7%). Streptococcus (11.7 ± 4.1%) was the dominant genus in the exudative group together with Corynebacterium (11.0 ± 3.8%), while Staphylococcus (15.6 ± 14.5%) dominated the proliferative group. The genus Staphylococcus represented only 0.5% of the exudative skin microbial community, a major difference between EPD-affected lesion types. Upon application, there was a statistically significant shift in community composition in all the groups, including the healthy community; however, the change was the most significant in the exudative community. On average, the genus Weissella represented 80.0 ± 13.3% of the exudative and 49.0 ± 30.0% of the proliferative bacterial community during treatment. One week after the application period, richness and diversity increased and were comparable in all groups. The application of the W. cibaria strain was associated with a significant decrease of the genera Staphylococcus, Moraxella, and Rothia in the proliferative group and with a decrease of Streptococcus and Clostridium in both exudative and proliferative groups. Based on our results, we conclude that a topically applied W. cibaria RIFR, stabilized on alginit, induced potentially beneficial shifts in the composition of the skin microbiota.
Copyright © 2025 Styková, Valocký, Kačírová and Fecskeová.
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Publication Date: 2025-01-06 PubMed ID: 39834920PubMed Central: PMC11743981DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1493756Google 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 study focused on investigating the impact of the topical application of Weissella cibaria (a type of bacteria) stabilized on alginite on the skin microbiota of healthy horses and horses with equine pastern dermatitis (EPD), a common skin disease in horses. It found that this application caused beneficial changes to the skin microbiota, significantly affecting the bacterial communities, particularly in horses with the exudative type of EPD.

Analysis of Equine Pastern Dermatitis

  • The study acknowledged that EPD is a multifaceted disorder affecting the skin of horses. It primarily focused on the variations of the disease – exudative and proliferative, based on their clinical signs.
  • By examining the microbial community in EPD lesions through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, the study identified significant differences between the skin microbiota of healthy and EPD-affected horses and also between the two forms of EPD.

Initial Microbial Community

  • The report outlined the initial microbial composition, pointing out the prevalence of two families – Corynebacteriaceae and Staphylococcaceae – in healthy horses.
  • It provided details of the prevalent genera in affected horses, noting significant differences between the bacterial communities in exudative and proliferative forms of EPD.

Impact of Weissella cibaria application

  • Applying Weissella cibaria to the skin of the horses led to noteworthy shifts in the microbial community across all groups, including healthy horses.
  • This shift was particularly pronounced in horses suffering from the exudative form of EPD.
  • Following the application, there was an increase in the proportion of the Weissella cibaria genus in both the exudative and proliferative bacterial communities.

Post-Treatment Observations

  • After a week, the study noted an increase in microbial richness and diversity, reaching comparable levels across all groups.
  • The treatment was associated with a noteworthy decrease in certain bacterial genera in the proliferative group and in both exudative and proliferative groups.

Conclusion

  • The research concluded that Weissella cibaria application could induce advantageous changes to the skin microbiota composition. This finding suggests potential benefits for the treatment of EPD in horses, warranting further research.

Cite This Article

APA
Styková E, Valocký I, Kačírová J, Fecskeová LK. (2025). Microbiological effect of topically applied Weissella cibaria on equine pastern dermatitis. Front Vet Sci, 11, 1493756. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1493756

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Pages: 1493756

Researcher Affiliations

Styková, Eva
  • University Veterinary Hospital, Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia.
Valocký, Igor
  • University Veterinary Hospital, Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Košice, Slovakia.
Kačírová, Jana
  • Institute of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Nitra, Slovakia.
Fecskeová, Lívia Kolesár
  • Associated Tissue Bank, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovakia.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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