FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Anaerobe2013; 25; 61-66; doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2013.11.010

Molecular monitoring of the bacterial community structure in foal feces pre- and post-weaning.

Abstract: This study assessed the time-scale variability of bacterial community structure in foal feces from birth to 365 days of age using Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA). Fecal samples were collected from five foals 2 h after birth (meconium) and in the morning at days 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60, 120, 179, 183, 194 and 365. The ARISA profiles were compared using an analysis of similarity (ANOSIM). Although both the age effect and the foal effect were highly significant (P < 0.010), the R-ANOSIM value for the foal effect was very low (R-ANOSIM = 0.089), while that of the age effect was much higher (R-ANOSIM = 0.309). Significant age-related changes were detected between days 0 and 2 (R-ANOSIM = 0.500), days 2 and 10 (R-ANOSIM = 0.475) and days 10 and 30 (R-ANOSIM = 0.519). No further shifts between consecutive times of sampling were detected in the bacterial community after day 30 and no changes were observed at weaning (day 180). These results show that the establishment of the intestinal bacterial community in foals is a sequential process, which reaches its climax state at around one month of age. Further studies using new generation sequencing based methods could be conducted to identify which bacterial genera are establishing in foals during the first month of life.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2013-12-04 PubMed ID: 24315809DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2013.11.010Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

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 study examines the changes in bacterial communities within foal feces from birth to a year old by utilizing Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis. Key age-related shifts were identified during the first month, alluding to the critical period for the establishment of these communities.

Goal of the Study

  • The main aim of the research was to analyze the temporal variability of bacterial community structure within foal feces from the moment of birth up to 365 days of age.

Methodology

  • Fecal samples were collected from five foals 2 hours post-birth and subsequently at specified days up until the 365th day.
  • The researchers used Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) to assess the bacterial communities in the samples.
  • The comparison of the ARISA profiles was performed through an analysis of similarity (ANOSIM).

Key Findings

  • The “age effect” and the “foal effect” on the makeup of the bacterial community were both statistically significant. However, the influence of the foal’s age proved to be a stronger factor than the individual characteristics of the foal itself.
  • Marked age-related changes in the bacterial community were observed between day 0 and 2, day 2 and 10, and day 10 and 30.
  • No significant shifts in the bacterial community were noticed in samples collected after the 30th day, including the weaning period on day 180.

Conclusion of the Study

  • The findings suggest that the establishment of the intestinal bacterial community in foals occurs in a sequential manner.
  • This bacterial community reaches its peak development approximately one month after birth.
  • The study opens opportunities for further investigation that could identify specific bacterial genera being established in foals during the initial month of life, using advanced sequencing methods.

Cite This Article

APA
Faubladier C, Sadet-Bourgeteau S, Philippeau C, Jacotot E, Julliand V. (2013). Molecular monitoring of the bacterial community structure in foal feces pre- and post-weaning. Anaerobe, 25, 61-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anaerobe.2013.11.010

Publication

Anaerobe
ISSN: 1095-8274
NlmUniqueID: 9505216
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 25
Pages: 61-66
PII: S1075-9964(13)00196-0

Researcher Affiliations

Faubladier, Céline
  • Agrosup Dijon, USC-INRA Nutrition du cheval athlète, Dijon, France. Electronic address: c.faubladier@gmail.com.
Sadet-Bourgeteau, Sophie
  • Agrosup Dijon, USC-INRA Nutrition du cheval athlète, Dijon, France.
Philippeau, Christelle
  • Agrosup Dijon, USC-INRA Nutrition du cheval athlète, Dijon, France.
Jacotot, Emmanuel
  • Agrosup Dijon, USC-INRA Nutrition du cheval athlète, Dijon, France.
Julliand, Véronique
  • Agrosup Dijon, USC-INRA Nutrition du cheval athlète, Dijon, France. Electronic address: veronique.julliand@agrosupdijon.fr.

MeSH Terms

  • Age Factors
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Biota
  • DNA Fingerprinting
  • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / genetics
  • Feces / microbiology
  • Horses / microbiology
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Weaning

Citations

This article has been cited 15 times.
  1. Yang F, DeLuca JAA, Menon R, Garcia-Vilarato E, Callaway E, Landrock KK, Lee K, Safe SH, Chapkin RS, Allred CD, Jayaraman A. Effect of diet and intestinal AhR expression on fecal microbiome and metabolomic profiles. Microb Cell Fact 2020 Nov 30;19(1):219.
    doi: 10.1186/s12934-020-01463-5pubmed: 33256731google scholar: lookup
  2. Mullen KR, Yasuda K, Divers TJ, Weese JS. Equine faecal microbiota transplant: Current knowledge, proposed guidelines and future directions. Equine Vet Educ 2018 Mar;30(3):151-160.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.12559pubmed: 32313396google scholar: lookup
  3. Henry S, Sigurjónsdóttir H, Klapper A, Joubert J, Montier G, Hausberger M. Domestic Foal Weaning: Need for Re-Thinking Breeding Practices?. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 23;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10020361pubmed: 32102206google scholar: lookup
  4. Lindenberg F, Krych L, Kot W, Fielden J, Frøkiær H, van Galen G, Nielsen DS, Hansen AK. Development of the equine gut microbiota. Sci Rep 2019 Oct 8;9(1):14427.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50563-9pubmed: 31594971google scholar: lookup
  5. Lindenberg F, Krych L, Fielden J, Kot W, Frøkiær H, van Galen G, Nielsen DS, Hansen AK. Expression of immune regulatory genes correlate with the abundance of specific Clostridiales and Verrucomicrobia species in the equine ileum and cecum. Sci Rep 2019 Sep 3;9(1):12674.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-49081-5pubmed: 31481726google scholar: lookup
  6. De La Torre U, Henderson JD, Furtado KL, Pedroja M, Elenamarie O, Mora A, Pechanec MY, Maga EA, Mienaltowski MJ. Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning. PLoS One 2019;14(4):e0216211.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216211pubmed: 31039168google scholar: lookup
  7. Mach N, Foury A, Kittelmann S, Reigner F, Moroldo M, Ballester M, Esquerré D, Rivière J, Sallé G, Gérard P, Moisan MP, Lansade L. The Effects of Weaning Methods on Gut Microbiota Composition and Horse Physiology. Front Physiol 2017;8:535.
    doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00535pubmed: 28790932google scholar: lookup
  8. Schoster A, Staempfli HR, Guardabassi LG, Jalali M, Weese JS. Comparison of the fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy and diarrheic foals at two and four weeks of life. BMC Vet Res 2017 May 30;13(1):144.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-1064-xpubmed: 28558788google scholar: lookup
  9. Guard BC, Mila H, Steiner JM, Mariani C, Suchodolski JS, Chastant-Maillard S. Characterization of the fecal microbiome during neonatal and early pediatric development in puppies. PLoS One 2017;12(4):e0175718.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175718pubmed: 28448583google scholar: lookup
  10. Whitfield-Cargile CM, Cohen ND, Suchodolski J, Chaffin MK, McQueen CM, Arnold CE, Dowd SE, Blodgett GP. Composition and Diversity of the Fecal Microbiome and Inferred Fecal Metagenome Does Not Predict Subsequent Pneumonia Caused by Rhodococcus equi in Foals. PLoS One 2015;10(8):e0136586.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136586pubmed: 26305682google scholar: lookup
  11. Al-Ansari AS, Duggan V, Mulcahy G, Yin X, Brennan L, Cotter PD, Patel SH, O'Donovan CM, Crispie F, Walshe N. Faecal microbiota and serum metabolome association with equine metabolic syndrome in connemara ponies. BMC Vet Res 2025 Jul 1;21(1):411.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04853-2pubmed: 40598279google scholar: lookup
  12. Huang X, Li Q, Li X, Li C, Li J, He L, Jing H, Yang F, Li X. Effects of different grain types on nutrient apparent digestibility, glycemic responses, and fecal VFA content in weaned foals. BMC Vet Res 2025 Apr 14;21(1):273.
    doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04716-wpubmed: 40229645google scholar: lookup
  13. Zhang W, Guo R, Sulayman A, Sun Y, Liu S. Research Progress on Influencing Factors of Gastrointestinal Microbial Diversity in Equine. Vet Med Sci 2025 May;11(3):e70271.
    doi: 10.1002/vms3.70271pubmed: 40145999google scholar: lookup
  14. Mady EA, Osuga H, Toyama H, El-Husseiny HM, Inoue R, Murase H, Yamamoto Y, Nagaoka K. Relationship between the components of mare breast milk and foal gut microbiome: shaping gut microbiome development after birth. Vet Q 2024 Dec;44(1):1-9.
    doi: 10.1080/01652176.2024.2349948pubmed: 38733121google scholar: lookup
  15. Boucher L, Leduc L, Leclère M, Costa MC. Current Understanding of Equine Gut Dysbiosis and Microbiota Manipulation Techniques: Comparison with Current Knowledge in Other Species. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 28;14(5).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14050758pubmed: 38473143google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,780 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.