FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire2021; 85(1); 3-11;

Nasal bacterial microbiota during an outbreak of equine herpesvirus 1 at a farm in southern Ontario.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the nasal bacterial microbiota of healthy horses and horses infected with equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). The nasal bacterial microbiota of 10 horses infected with EHV-1 and 11 control horses from a farm experiencing an outbreak was characterized using the Illumina MiSeq platform targeting the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The nasal bacterial microbiota of healthy horses and EHV-1 horses was significantly different in community membership and structure. Horses shedding EHV-1 had lower bacterial richness ( = 0.002), evenness ( = 0.008), and diversity ( = 0.026) than healthy horses. Healthy horses had a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, but lower Proteobacteria than horses with EHV-1 ( < 0.05). This study provides the basis for generating hypotheses and investigations on the role of bacterial-viral interactions in the health and diseases of adult horses. L’objectif de cette étude était d’étudier le microbiote bactérien nasal de chevaux sains et de chevaux infectés par l’herpèsvirus équin 1 (EHV-1). Le microbiote bactérien nasal de 10 chevaux infectés par l’EHV-1 et de 11 chevaux témoins d’une ferme ayant subi une épidémie a été caractérisé à l’aide de la plate-forme Illumina MiSeq ciblant la région V4 du gène de l’ARN ribosomal 16S. Le microbiote bactérien nasal des chevaux sains et des chevaux EHV-1 était significativement différent dans l’appartenance et la structure de la communauté. Les chevaux excrétant l’EHV-1 avaient une richesse bactérienne ( = 0,002), une régularité ( = 0,008) et une diversité ( = 0,026) plus faibles que les chevaux en bonne santé. Les chevaux en bonne santé avaient une abondance relative plus élevée de Firmicutes et de Bacteroidetes, mais moins de Protéobactéries que les chevaux avec EHV-1 ( < 0,05). Cette étude fournit la base pour générer des hypothèses et des investigations sur le rôle des interactions bactériennes-virales dans la santé et les maladies des chevaux adultes.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).
Copyright and/or publishing rights held by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2021-01-05 PubMed ID: 33390647PubMed Central: PMC7747660
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

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 is a study of the nasal bacterial microbiota in healthy horses as compared to horses infected with equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), revealing significant differences in the bacterial community structure and membership within the nasal microbiota of the two groups.

Objective of the Study

The study aimed to examine the nasal bacterial microbiota in healthy horses and those infected with equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). During an EHV-1 outbreak on a farm in southern Ontario, the researchers compared:

  • The nasal bacterial microbiota of 10 EHV-1-infected horses
  • 11 control horses not infected with EHV-1

This comparison was done with the use of the Illumina MiSeq platform, specifically targeting the V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. The purpose was to understand the differences in the bacterial diversity, richness, and evenness between the two groups of horses.

Major Findings

The study discovered notable differences in the nasal bacterial microbiota between healthy and EHV-1-infected horses. Key findings include:

  • Distinction in bacterial community membership and structure: The two groups of horses displayed significant differences with respect to bacterial structure and variety in their nasal microbiota.
  • Lower bacterial richness, evenness, and diversity in EHV-1-infected horses: Statistics showed that infected horses exhibited reduced bacterial richness (0.002), evenness (0.008), and diversity (0.026) in comparison to healthy horses.
  • Differences in bacterial abundance: Healthy horses showed a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes bacteria but lower Proteobacteria than horses infected with EHV-1.

Implications of the Findings

The study provides a foundation for generating theories and further research into the role of bacterial-viral interactions in the health and diseases of adult horses. By uncovering the differences in nasal bacterial microbiota between healthy and EHV-1-infected horses, the research offers new insights that could be valuable in control and prevention strategies for EHV-1 and possibly other diseases. Understanding the role of nasal microbiota could have significant implications for veterinary medicine and animal husbandry.

Cite This Article

APA
Gomez DE, Arroyo LG, Lillie B, Weese JS. (2021). Nasal bacterial microbiota during an outbreak of equine herpesvirus 1 at a farm in southern Ontario. Can J Vet Res, 85(1), 3-11.

Publication

Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire
ISSN: 1928-9022
NlmUniqueID: 8607793
Country: Canada
Language: English
Volume: 85
Issue: 1
Pages: 3-11

Researcher Affiliations

Gomez, Diego E
  • Department of Clinical Studies (Gomez, Arroyo) and Department of Pathobiology (Lillie, Weese), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.
Arroyo, Luis G
  • Department of Clinical Studies (Gomez, Arroyo) and Department of Pathobiology (Lillie, Weese), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.
Lillie, Brandon
  • Department of Clinical Studies (Gomez, Arroyo) and Department of Pathobiology (Lillie, Weese), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.
Weese, J Scott
  • Department of Clinical Studies (Gomez, Arroyo) and Department of Pathobiology (Lillie, Weese), Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria / classification
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
  • Farms
  • Herpesviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary
  • Herpesviridae Infections / virology
  • Herpesvirus 1, Equid
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horse Diseases / virology
  • Horses
  • Nose / microbiology
  • Ontario / epidemiology
  • RNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Virus Shedding

References

This article includes 40 references
  1. Pusterla N, Hussey GS. Equine herpesvirus 1 myeloencephalopathy.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2014 Dec;30(3):489-506.
    pubmed: 25300635doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2014.08.006google scholar: lookup
  2. Bosch AA, Biesbroek G, Trzcinski K, Sanders EA, Bogaert D. Viral and bacterial interactions in the upper respiratory tract.. PLoS Pathog 2013 Jan;9(1):e1003057.
    pmc: PMC3542149pubmed: 23326226doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003057google scholar: lookup
  3. Revai K, Mamidi D, Chonmaitree T. Association of nasopharyngeal bacterial colonization during upper respiratory tract infection and the development of acute otitis media.. Clin Infect Dis 2008 Feb 15;46(4):e34-7.
    pmc: PMC2707183pubmed: 18205533doi: 10.1086/525856google scholar: lookup
  4. Allen EK, Koeppel AF, Hendley JO, Turner SD, Winther B, Sale MM. Characterization of the nasopharyngeal microbiota in health and during rhinovirus challenge.. Microbiome 2014;2:22.
    pmc: PMC4098959pubmed: 25028608doi: 10.1186/2049-2618-2-22google scholar: lookup
  5. Korten I, Mika M, Klenja S, Kieninger E, Mack I, Barbani MT, Gorgievski M, Frey U, Hilty M, Latzin P. Interactions of Respiratory Viruses and the Nasal Microbiota during the First Year of Life in Healthy Infants.. mSphere 2016 Nov-Dec;1(6).
    pmc: PMC5120172pubmed: 27904883doi: 10.1128/msphere.00312-16google scholar: lookup
  6. Bond SL, Timsit E, Workentine M, Alexander T, Léguillette R. Upper and lower respiratory tract microbiota in horses: bacterial communities associated with health and mild asthma (inflammatory airway disease) and effects of dexamethasone.. BMC Microbiol 2017 Aug 23;17(1):184.
    pmc: PMC5569571pubmed: 28835202doi: 10.1186/s12866-017-1092-5google scholar: lookup
  7. Diallo IS, Hewitson G, Wright L, Rodwell BJ, Corney BG. Detection of equine herpesvirus type 1 using a real-time polymerase chain reaction.. J Virol Methods 2006 Jan;131(1):92-8.
    pubmed: 16137772doi: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2005.07.010google scholar: lookup
  8. Gomez DE, Arroyo LG, Costa MC, Viel L, Weese JS. Characterization of the Fecal Bacterial Microbiota of Healthy and Diarrheic Dairy Calves.. J Vet Intern Med 2017 May;31(3):928-939.
    pmc: PMC5435056pubmed: 28390070doi: 10.1111/jvim.14695google scholar: lookup
  9. Quast C, Pruesse E, Yilmaz P, Gerken J, Schweer T, Yarza P, Peplies J, Glöckner FO. The SILVA ribosomal RNA gene database project: improved data processing and web-based tools.. Nucleic Acids Res 2013 Jan;41(Database issue):D590-6.
    pmc: PMC3531112pubmed: 23193283doi: 10.1093/nar/gks1219google scholar: lookup
  10. Good IJ. The population frequencies of species and the estimation of population parameters.. Biometrika 1953;40:237–264.
  11. Jaccard P. Nouvelles recherches sur la distribution florale.. Bull Soc Vaud Sci Nat 1908;44:223–270.
  12. Yue JC, Clayton MK. A similarity measure based on species proportions.. Commun Stat Theor Methods 2005;34:2123–2131.
  13. Segata N, Izard J, Waldron L, Gevers D, Miropolsky L, Garrett WS, Huttenhower C. Metagenomic biomarker discovery and explanation.. Genome Biol 2011 Jun 24;12(6):R60.
    pmc: PMC3218848pubmed: 21702898doi: 10.1186/gb-2011-12-6-r60google scholar: lookup
  14. Holmes I, Harris K, Quince C. Dirichlet multinomial mixtures: generative models for microbial metagenomics.. PLoS One 2012;7(2):e30126.
    pmc: PMC3272020pubmed: 22319561doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030126google scholar: lookup
  15. Boyer EE. Studies on the Bacterial Flora of the Mouth and Nose of the Normal Horse.. J Bacteriol 1919 Jan;4(1):61-3.
    pmc: PMC378793pubmed: 16558825doi: 10.1128/jb.4.1.61-63.1919google scholar: lookup
  16. Hoquet F, Higgins R, Lessard P, Vrins A, Marcoux M. Comparison of the bacterial and fungal flora in the pharynx of normal horses and horses affected with pharyngitis.. Can Vet J 1985 Nov;26(11):342-6.
    pmc: PMC1680136pubmed: 17422588
  17. Mariani J, Favero C, Spinazzè A, Cavallo DM, Carugno M, Motta V, Bonzini M, Cattaneo A, Pesatori AC, Bollati V. Short-term particulate matter exposure influences nasal microbiota in a population of healthy subjects.. Environ Res 2018 Apr;162:119-126.
    pubmed: 29291434doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.12.016google scholar: lookup
  18. Slifierz MJ, Friendship RM, Weese JS. Longitudinal study of the early-life fecal and nasal microbiotas of the domestic pig.. BMC Microbiol 2015 Sep 21;15(1):184.
    pmc: PMC4578254pubmed: 26391877doi: 10.1186/s12866-015-0512-7google scholar: lookup
  19. Isaiah A, Hoffmann AR, Kelley R, Mundell P, Steiner JM, Suchodolski JS. Characterization of the nasal and oral microbiota of detection dogs.. PLoS One 2017;12(9):e0184899.
    pmc: PMC5608223pubmed: 28934260doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184899google scholar: lookup
  20. Nicola I, Cerutti F, Grego E, Bertone I, Gianella P, D'Angelo A, Peletto S, Bellino C. Characterization of the upper and lower respiratory tract microbiota in Piedmontese calves.. Microbiome 2017 Nov 21;5(1):152.
    pmc: PMC5697440pubmed: 29157308doi: 10.1186/s40168-017-0372-5google scholar: lookup
  21. Hansson I, Johansson KE, Persson M, Riihimäki M. The clinical significance of Nicoletella semolina in horses with respiratory disorders and a screening of the bacterial flora in the airways of horses.. Vet Microbiol 2013 Mar 23;162(2-4):695-699.
    pubmed: 23084505doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.09.016google scholar: lookup
  22. Kuhnert P, Korczak B, Falsen E, Straub R, Hoops A, Boerlin P, Frey J, Mutters R. Nicoletella semolina gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of Pasteurellaceae isolated from horses with airway disease.. J Clin Microbiol 2004 Dec;42(12):5542-8.
    pmc: PMC535277pubmed: 15583279doi: 10.1128/jcm.42.12.5542-5548.2004google scholar: lookup
  23. McConachie EL, Hart KA, Whelchel DD, Schroeder EL, Schott HC 2nd, Sanchez S. Pulmonary disease potentially associated with Nicoletella semolina in 3 young horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2014 May-Jun;28(3):939-43.
    pmc: PMC4895471pubmed: 24689696doi: 10.1111/jvim.12349google scholar: lookup
  24. Salter SJ, Cox MJ, Turek EM, Calus ST, Cookson WO, Moffatt MF, Turner P, Parkhill J, Loman NJ, Walker AW. Reagent and laboratory contamination can critically impact sequence-based microbiome analyses.. BMC Biol 2014 Nov 12;12:87.
    pmc: PMC4228153pubmed: 25387460doi: 10.1186/s12915-014-0087-zgoogle scholar: lookup
  25. Witt N, Rodger G, Vandesompele J, Benes V, Zumla A, Rook GA, Huggett JF. An assessment of air as a source of DNA contamination encountered when performing PCR.. J Biomol Tech 2009 Dec;20(5):236-40.
    pmc: PMC2777341pubmed: 19949694
  26. Eisenhofer R, Minich JJ, Marotz C, Cooper A, Knight R, Weyrich LS. Contamination in Low Microbial Biomass Microbiome Studies: Issues and Recommendations.. Trends Microbiol 2019 Feb;27(2):105-117.
    pubmed: 30497919doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2018.11.003google scholar: lookup
  27. de Steenhuijsen Piters WA, Heinonen S, Hasrat R, Bunsow E, Smith B, Suarez-Arrabal MC, Chaussabel D, Cohen DM, Sanders EA, Ramilo O, Bogaert D, Mejias A. Nasopharyngeal Microbiota, Host Transcriptome, and Disease Severity in Children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2016 Nov 1;194(9):1104-1115.
    pmc: PMC5114450pubmed: 27135599doi: 10.1164/rccm.201602-0220ocgoogle scholar: lookup
  28. Fillion-Bertrand G, Dickson RP, Boivin R, Lavoie JP, Huffnagle GB, Leclere M. Lung Microbiome Is Influenced by the Environment and Asthmatic Status in an Equine Model of Asthma.. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019 Feb;60(2):189-197.
    pubmed: 30183323doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2017-0228ocgoogle scholar: lookup
  29. Molyneaux PL, Mallia P, Cox MJ, Footitt J, Willis-Owen SA, Homola D, Trujillo-Torralbo MB, Elkin S, Kon OM, Cookson WO, Moffatt MF, Johnston SL. Outgrowth of the bacterial airway microbiome after rhinovirus exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2013 Nov 15;188(10):1224-31.
    pmc: PMC3863728pubmed: 23992479doi: 10.1164/rccm.201302-0341ocgoogle scholar: lookup
  30. Holman DB, Timsit E, Alexander TW. The nasopharyngeal microbiota of feedlot cattle.. Sci Rep 2015 Oct 26;5:15557.
    pmc: PMC4620444pubmed: 26497574doi: 10.1038/srep15557google scholar: lookup
  31. Giguère S. Bacterial pneumonia and pleuropneumonia in adult horses.. 2020. p. 526.
  32. Bosch AA, Biesbroek G, Trzcinski K, Sanders EA, Bogaert D. Viral and bacterial interactions in the upper respiratory tract.. PLoS Pathog 2013 Jan;9(1):e1003057.
    pmc: PMC3542149pubmed: 23326226doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003057google scholar: lookup
  33. Hagedorn C, Holt JG. A nutritional and taxonomic survey of Arthrobacter soil isolates.. Can J Microbiol 1975 Mar;21(3):353-61.
    pubmed: 1116046doi: 10.1139/m75-050google scholar: lookup
  34. Dorn ES, Tress B, Suchodolski JS, Nisar T, Ravindran P, Weber K, Hartmann K, Schulz BS. Bacterial microbiome in the nose of healthy cats and in cats with nasal disease.. PLoS One 2017;12(6):e0180299.
    pmc: PMC5491177pubmed: 28662139doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180299google scholar: lookup
  35. Bisgaard H, Hermansen MN, Buchvald F, Loland L, Halkjaer LB, Bønnelykke K, Brasholt M, Heltberg A, Vissing NH, Thorsen SV, Stage M, Pipper CB. Childhood asthma after bacterial colonization of the airway in neonates.. N Engl J Med 2007 Oct 11;357(15):1487-95.
    pubmed: 17928596doi: 10.1056/nejmoa052632google scholar: lookup
  36. Vissing NH, Chawes BL, Bisgaard H. Increased risk of pneumonia and bronchiolitis after bacterial colonization of the airways as neonates.. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2013 Nov 15;188(10):1246-52.
    pubmed: 24090102doi: 10.1164/rccm.201302-0215ocgoogle scholar: lookup
  37. Lima SF, Teixeira AG, Higgins CH, Lima FS, Bicalho RC. The upper respiratory tract microbiome and its potential role in bovine respiratory disease and otitis media.. Sci Rep 2016 Jul 1;6:29050.
    pmc: PMC4929571pubmed: 27363739doi: 10.1038/srep29050google scholar: lookup
  38. Teo SM, Mok D, Pham K, Kusel M, Serralha M, Troy N, Holt BJ, Hales BJ, Walker ML, Hollams E, Bochkov YA, Grindle K, Johnston SL, Gern JE, Sly PD, Holt PG, Holt KE, Inouye M. The infant nasopharyngeal microbiome impacts severity of lower respiratory infection and risk of asthma development.. Cell Host Microbe 2015 May 13;17(5):704-15.
    pmc: PMC4433433pubmed: 25865368doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2015.03.008google scholar: lookup
  39. Liu H, Yan J, Wang Y, Yan Q, Zhao L, Yan R, He H. Isolation of Moraxella bovoculi from racehorses with keratoconjunctivitis.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2014 Jul;26(4):585-587.
    pubmed: 24903634doi: 10.1177/1040638714535601google scholar: lookup
  40. Koerner RJ, Goodfellow M, Jones AL. The genus Dietzia: a new home for some known and emerging opportunist pathogens.. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 2009 Apr;55(3):296-305.
    pubmed: 19159434doi: 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2008.00513.xgoogle scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
  1. Li K, Pang S, Li Z, Ding X, Gan Y, Gan Q, Fang S. House ammonia exposure causes alterations in microbiota, transcriptome, and metabolome of rabbits. Front Microbiol 2023;14:1125195.
    doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1125195pubmed: 37250049google scholar: lookup
  2. Rodríguez N, Whitfield-Cargile CM, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Hildreth E, Jordan W, Coleman MC. Nasopharyngeal bacterial and fungal microbiota in normal horses and horses with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome. J Vet Intern Med 2021 Nov;35(6):2897-2911.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16307pubmed: 34783081google scholar: lookup
  3. Mach N, Baranowski E, Nouvel LX, Citti C. The Airway Pathobiome in Complex Respiratory Diseases: A Perspective in Domestic Animals. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021;11:583600.
    doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.583600pubmed: 34055660google scholar: lookup
  4. Martin de Bustamante MG, Plummer CE, Caddey B, Gomez DE. The effect of topical antibiotic or antibiotic-corticosteroid treatment on the ocular surface microbiota of healthy horses. Front Microbiol 2025;16:1535095.
    doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1535095pubmed: 40831630google scholar: lookup
  5. Mohamed E, Van Cleemput J, Şahin B, Van den Broeck W, Boyen F, Nauwynck H. Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Supernatant Containing Streptolysin S Alters the Equine Nasal and Vaginal Mucosa, Modulating Equine Herpesvirus 1, 3 and 4 Infections. Viruses 2025 Jul 14;17(7).
    doi: 10.3390/v17070980pubmed: 40733597google scholar: lookup
  6. Gil-Miranda A, Caddey B, Orellana-Guerrero D, Smith H, Samper JC, Gomez DE. Vaginal and Uterine Microbiota of Healthy Maiden Mares during Estrus. Vet Sci 2024 Jul 18;11(7).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci11070323pubmed: 39058007google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 100,113 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.