FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2021; 35(6); 2897-2911; doi: 10.1111/jvim.16307

Nasopharyngeal bacterial and fungal microbiota in normal horses and horses with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome.

Abstract: The nasopharyngeal bacterial and fungal microbiota of normal horses and those with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome (NCS) are unknown. Objective: To describe the microbiota from nasopharyngeal washes of healthy horses and of horses acutely affected with NCS. Methods: Twenty-six horses acutely affected with NCS horses and 14 unaffected horses. Methods: Prospective, observational cohort study. Horses were recruited by investigators through personal communications in central Texas. Bacterial (16s RNA) and fungal (internal transcribed spacer) microbiota from nasopharyngeal washes were evaluated. Polymerase chain reaction for detection of Pythium insidiosum was performed. Results: Results indicated that 6 fungal genera (Alternaria, Bipolaris, Microascus, Spegazzinia, Paraconiothyrium, Claviceps) and 1 bacterial genera (Staphylococcus) were significantly different between affected and unaffected horses. The fungal genus Bipolaris had increased abundance in NCS affected horses and on NCS affected farms. Pythium insidiosum was absent in the nasopharyngeal wash of all horses, irrespective of health status. Conclusions: Significant differences were identified in the fungal microbiota in horses affected with NCS and farms affected with NCS compared to those unaffected. Therefore, Bipolaris warrants further investigation.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2021-11-16 PubMed ID: 34783081PubMed Central: PMC8692226DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16307Google 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
  • Observational Study
  • Veterinary

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 article explores the differences in the bacterial and fungal microbiota in the nasopharynx of healthy horses and those affected by nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome (NCS), revealing significant alterations in the microbial populations, notably a spike in the abundance of a fungal genus known as Bipolaris, among the NCS-affected horses.

Study Purpose and Methodology

  • The overarching aim of this research was to describe the microbiota found in the nasopharynea of healthy horses versus those with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome (NCS)–an uncommon and often devastating respiratory condition in horses.
  • The study was designed as a prospective, observational cohort trial, involving 14 unaffected horses and 26 affected by NCS, all of them recruited from the central Texas region.
  • To provide a scientific analysis of the microbial population, the researchers adopted a two-tiered approach including bacterial (16s RNA) and fungal (internal transcribed spacer) evaluation from nasopharyngeal washes.
  • Additionally, a polymerase chain reaction was applied to identify the presence of Pythium insidiosum, a pathogen known to cause serious infections in mammals.

Pivotal Findings

  • Upon comparison of the microbial populations among the affected and unaffected groups, significant disparities were observed in six fungal genera, namely Alternaria, Bipolaris, Microascus, Spegazzinia, Paraconiothyrium, and Claviceps, along with a bacterial genus named Staphylococcus.
  • The study found that Bipolaris, a genus of fungi, was substantially more prevalent in both horses and farms affected by NCS.
  • The pathogenic Pythium insidiosum, often associated with severe infections in different mammals, was not detected in the samples from any of the horses, regardless of health status.

Conclusions Drawn from the Research

  • The results suggest a significant differentiation in the fungal microbiota in horses and farms affected with NCS versus those that are not affected.
  • The increased abundance of the fungal genus Bipolaris stands out among the findings, emphasizing the requirement for a more detailed investigation into its role in the development of NCS.

Cite This Article

APA
Rodríguez N, Whitfield-Cargile CM, Chamoun-Emanuelli AM, Hildreth E, Jordan W, Coleman MC. (2021). Nasopharyngeal bacterial and fungal microbiota in normal horses and horses with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome. J Vet Intern Med, 35(6), 2897-2911. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16307

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 35
Issue: 6
Pages: 2897-2911

Researcher Affiliations

Rodríguez, Natalia
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Whitfield-Cargile, Canaan M
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Chamoun-Emanuelli, Ana M
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Hildreth, Elizabeth
  • EW Hildreth, DVM, Richmond, Texas, USA.
Jordan, Will
  • Jordan Equine Sports Medicine & Surgery, Waller, Texas, USA.
Coleman, Michelle C
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cicatrix / pathology
  • Cicatrix / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases
  • Horses
  • Mycobiome
  • Prospective Studies
  • Pythium

Grant Funding

  • US Polo Association

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 49 references
  1. Norman TE, Chaffin MK, Bisset WT, Thompson JA. Association of clinical signs with endoscopic findings in horses with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome: 118 cases (2003‐2008). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2012;240:734‐739.
    pubmed: 22380812
  2. Norman TE, Chaffin MK, Bissett WT, Thompson JA. Risk factors associated with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome in horses. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013;242:1267‐1270.
    pubmed: 23600785
  3. Chesen AB, Rakestraw PC. Indications for and short‐ and long‐term outcome of permanent tracheostomy performed in standing horses: 82 cases (1995‐2005). J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;232:1352‐1356.
    pubmed: 18447781
  4. Hoquet F, Higgins R, Lessard P. Comparison of the bacterial and fungal flora in the pharynx of normal horses and horses affected with pharyngitis. Can Vet J 1985;26:342‐346.
    pmc: PMC1680136pubmed: 17422588
  5. 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;17:184.
    pmc: PMC5569571pubmed: 28835202
  6. Bond SL, Workentine M, Hundt J, UCVM Class of 2019, Gilkerson JR, Léguillette R. Effects of nebulized dexamethasone on the respiratory microbiota and mycobiota and relative equine herpesvirus‐1, 2, 4, 5 in an equine model of asthma. J Vet Intern Med 2020;34:307‐321.
    pmc: PMC6979091pubmed: 31793692
  7. Gomez DE, Arroyo LG, Lillie B, Weese JS. Nasal bacterial microbiota during an outbreak of equine herpesvirus 1 at a farm in southern Ontario. Can J Vet Res 2021;85:3‐11.
    pmc: PMC7747660pubmed: 33390647
  8. Prevaes SM, de Steenhuijsen Piters WA, de Winter‐de Groot KM. Concordance between upper and lower airway microbiota in infants with cystic fibrosis. Eur Respir J 2017;49:1602235.
    pubmed: 28356374
  9. Holman DB, Timsit E, Amat S, Abbott DW, Buret AG, Alexander TW. The nasopharyngeal microbiota of beef cattle before and after transport to a feedlot. BMC Microbiol 2017;17:70.
    pmc: PMC5361731pubmed: 28330466
  10. Timsit E, Holman DB, Hallewell J, Alexander TW. The nasopharyngeal microbiota in feedlot cattle and its role in respiratory health. Anim Front 2016;6:44‐50.
  11. Timsit E, Workentine M, Schryvers AB, Holman DB, van der Meer F, Alexander TW. Evolution of the nasopharyngeal microbiota of beef cattle from weaning to 40 days after arrival at a feedlot. Vet Microbiol 2016;187:75‐81.
    pubmed: 27066712
  12. Beste KJ, Lawhon SD, Chamoun‐Emanuelli AM. Culture‐independent and dependent evaluation of the equine paranasal sinus microbiota in health and disease. Equine Vet J 2020;52:455‐463.
    pubmed: 31437314
  13. Huffnagle GB, Noverr MC. The emerging world of the fungal microbiome. Trends Microbiol 2013;21:334‐341.
    pmc: PMC3708484pubmed: 23685069
  14. Woo PCY, Lau SKP, Teng JLL, Tse H, Yuen KY. Then and now: use of 16S rDNA gene sequencing for bacterial identification and discovery of novel bacteria in clinical microbiology laboratories. Clin Microbiol Infect 2008;14:908‐934.
    pubmed: 18828852
  15. Costa MC, Weese JS. The equine intestinal microbiome. Anim Health Res Rev 2012;13:121‐128.
    pubmed: 22626511
  16. Cordeiro RDA, Bittencourt PV, Brilhante RSN. Species of Candida as a component of the nasal microbiota of healthy horses. Med Mycol 2013;51:731‐736.
    pubmed: 23651178
  17. Vandelaar LJ, Hanson B, Marino M. Analysis of sinonasal microbiota in exacerbations of chronic rhinosinusitis subgroups. OTO Open 2019;3:2473974X19875100.
    pmc: PMC6749786pubmed: 31555757
  18. Whitfield‐Cargile CM, Cohen ND, Suchodolski J. 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:e0136586.
    pmc: PMC4549325pubmed: 26305682
  19. White T, Bruns T, Lee S. Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. 1990:315‐322.
  20. McMurdie PJ, Holmes S. phyloseq: an R package for reproducible interactive analysis and graphics of microbiome census data. PLoS One 2013;8:e61217.
    pmc: PMC3632530pubmed: 23630581
  21. Davis NM, Proctor DM, Holmes SP, Relman DA, Callahan BJ. Simple statistical identification and removal of contaminant sequences in marker‐gene and metagenomics data. Microbiome 2018;6:226.
    pmc: PMC6298009pubmed: 30558668
  22. McMurdie PJ, Holmes S. Waste not, want not: why rarefying microbiome data is inadmissible. PLoS Comput Biol 2014;10:e1003531.
    pmc: PMC3974642pubmed: 24699258
  23. Martin BD, Witten D, Willis AD. Modeling microbial abundances and dysbiosis with beta‐binomial regression. Ann Appl Stat 2020;14:94‐115.
    pmc: PMC7514055pubmed: 32983313
  24. Grooters AM, Gee MK. Development of a nested polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection and identification of Pythium insidiosum. J Vet Intern Med 2002;16:147‐152.
    pubmed: 11899029
  25. Ludwig A, Gatineau S, Reynaud MC. Fungal isolation and identification in 21 cases of guttural pouch mycosis in horses (1998–2002). Vet J 2005;169:457‐461.
    pubmed: 15848789
  26. Johnson PJ, Moore LA, Mrad DR, Turk JR, Wilson DA. Sudden death of two horses associated with pulmonary aspergillosis. Vet Rec 1999;145:16‐20.
    pubmed: 10452392
  27. Seyedmousavi S, Guillot J, Arné P. Aspergillus and aspergilloses in wild and domestic animals: a global health concern with parallels to human disease. Med Mycol 2015;53:765‐797.
    pubmed: 26316211
  28. Dauvillier J, Ter Woort F, van Erck‐Westergren E. Fungi in respiratory samples of horses with inflammatory airway disease. J Vet Intern Med 2019;33:968‐975.
    pmc: PMC6430897pubmed: 30576012
  29. Kotimaa MH, Husman KH, Terho EO, Mustonen MH. Airborne molds and actinomycetes in the work environment of farmer's lung patients in Finland. Scand J Work Environ Health 1984;10:115‐119.
    pubmed: 6382592
  30. Zajc J, Gunde‐Cimerman N. The genus Wallemia—from contamination of food to health threat. Microorganisms 2018;6:46.
    pmc: PMC6027281pubmed: 29883408
  31. Tuon FF, Costa SF. Rhodotorula infection. A systematic review of 128 cases from literature. Rev Iberoam Micol 2008;25:135‐140.
    pubmed: 18785780
  32. Sandoval‐Denis M, Gené J, Sutton DA, Wiederhold NP, Cano‐Lira JF, Guarro J. New species of Cladosporium associated with human and animal infections. Persoonia 2016;36:281‐298.
    pmc: PMC4988372pubmed: 27616793
  33. Downs SH, Mitakakis TZ, Marks GB. Clinical importance of Alternaria exposure in children. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2001;164:455‐459.
    pubmed: 11500349
  34. Bush RK, Prochnau JJ. Alternaria‐induced asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;113:227‐234.
    pubmed: 14767434
  35. Coles B, Stevens D, Hunter R. Equine nodular dermatitis associated with Alternaria tenuis infection. Vet Pathol 1978;15:779‐780.
    pubmed: 751314
  36. Dicken M, Munday JS, Archer RM, Mayhew IG, Pandey SK. Cutaneous fungal granulomas due to Alternaria spp. infection in a horse in New Zealand. N Z Vet J 2010;58:319‐320.
    pubmed: 21151220
  37. Manamgoda DS, Rossman AY, Castlebury LA. The genus Bipolaris. Stud Mycol 2014;79:221‐288.
    pmc: PMC4255534pubmed: 25492990
  38. Latham RH. Bipolaris spicifera meningitis complicating a neurosurgerical procedure. Scand J Infect Dis 2000;32:102‐103.
    pubmed: 10716091
  39. Hemashettar B, Veerappa T, Verma PVKS, Hanchinamani S, Patil CS, Thammayya A. Mycotic keratitis caused by Bipolaris spicifera. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 1992;35:274‐277.
    pubmed: 1344166
  40. Ogden PE, Hurley DL, Cain PT. Fatal fungal endarteritis caused by Bipolaris spicifera following replacement of the aortic valve. Clin Infect Dis 1992;14:596‐598.
    pubmed: 1554850
  41. Moore ML, Collins GR, Hawk BJ, Russell TS. Disseminated Bipolaris spicifera in a neonate. J Perinatol 2001;21:399‐401.
    pubmed: 11593377
  42. Schubert MS, Goetz DW. Evaluation and treatment of allergic fungal sinusitis. I. Demographics and diagnosis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1998;102:387‐394.
    pubmed: 9768578
  43. Schubert MS. Medical treatment of allergic fungal sinusitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2000;85:90‐97.
    pubmed: 10982214
  44. Legere RM, Wooldridge AA, Sandey M, Hanson RR, Cole R. Phaeohyphomycotic rhinitis caused by Bipolaris hawaiiensis in a horse. J Equine Vet Sci 2019;82:102798.
    pubmed: 31732112
  45. Gaastra W, Lipman LJA, De Cock AWAM. Pythium insidiosum: an overview. Vet Microbiol 2010;146:1‐16.
    pubmed: 20800978
  46. Chaffin MK, James S, McMullan WC. Cutaneous pythiosis in the horse. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 1995;11:91‐103.
    pubmed: 7634168
  47. Goad ME. Pulmonary pythiosis in a horse. Vet Pathol 1984;21:261‐262.
    pubmed: 6730214
  48. Elkhenany H, Abu‐Ahmed H, Mahmoud H. Treatment and outcome of horses with cutaneous pythiosis, and meta‐analysis of similar reports. Slov Vet Res 2019;56:281‐291.
  49. Anand S, Mande SS. Diet, microbiota and gut‐lung connection. Front Microbiol 2018;9:2147.
    pmc: PMC6156521pubmed: 30283410

Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Bond S, McMullen C, Timsit E, Léguillette R. Topography of the respiratory, oral, and guttural pouch bacterial and fungal microbiotas in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):349-360.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.16612pubmed: 36607177google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,658 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.