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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Ocular Microbiome in a Group of Clinically Healthy Horses.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(8); 943; doi: 10.3390/ani12080943

Ocular Microbiome in a Group of Clinically Healthy Horses.

Abstract: The ocular microbiome in horses is poorly described compared to other species, and most of the information available in the literature is based on traditional techniques, which has limited the depth of the knowledge on the subject. The objective of this study was to characterize and predict the metabolic pathways of the ocular microbiome of a group of healthy horses. Conjunctival swabs were obtained from both eyes of 14 horses, and DNA extraction was performed from the swabs, followed by next generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses employing DADA2 and PICRUSt2. A total of 17 phyla were identified, of which () was the most abundant (59.88%), followed by () (22.44%) and () (16.39%), totaling an average of 98.72% of the communities. Similarly, of the 278 genera identified, , , , , and were present in more than 5% of the samples analyzed. Both and showed great heterogeneity within the samples. The most abundant inferred metabolic functions were related to vital functions for bacteria such as aerobic respiration, amino acid, and lipid biosynthesis.
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Publication Date: 2022-04-07 PubMed ID: 35454190PubMed Central: PMC9028004DOI: 10.3390/ani12080943Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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.

This research study gives an in-depth analysis of the ocular microbiome in horses, identifying the different bacteria present and predicting their metabolic pathways. The study provides a better understanding of the usual healthy state of a horse’s ocary microbiome, enabling improved identification of abnormalities and diseases in the future.

Research Methodology

  • The study’s subjects were 14 clinically healthy horses. DNA samples were obtained by collecting conjunctival swabs from the horses’ eyes.
  • The DNA was then extracted from the swabs and put through next-generation sequencing. This is a method of DNA sequencing that allows for millions of small fragments of DNA to be sequenced concurrently, producing a much larger volume of data. The data is then processed using bioinformatics, a field that combines biology and computer science to help understand and interpret biological data.
  • In this study, the DADA2 and PICRUSt2 software were utilized for bioinformatics analyses. DADA2 can identify and correct complex illumination errors in sequencing data, while PICRUSt2 enables prediction of the functions of the identified microbial communities.

Findings

  • The analysis identified 17 different phyla of bacteria present in the ocular microbiome of the tested horses. The most abundant phylum was found in about 60% of the communities, followed by two other phyla present in 22.44% and 16.39% respectively. These three phyla made up almost 99% of the microbiome communities identified.
  • In addition to the phyla, the study identified 278 bacterial genera. Six of these, while unnamed in the study, were present in over 5% of the samples.
  • Two of the identified genera showed significant differences in their presence across the samples, suggesting a wide range of natural variations within horse eye microbiomes.
  • Furthermore, the analysis was able to predict common functions of the microbiome. The most frequent metabolic functions were related to basic bacterial living conditions, such as aerobic respiration, and production (biosynthesis) of amino acids and lipids. Understanding these functions can help to determine how these bacteria interact with the horse’s body and likely roles they play in the horse’s overall health.

Significance

  • This research provides a much-needed insight into the makeup and functioning of the ocular microbiome in horses. This knowledge is not only key to understanding the healthy state of a horse’s ocary microbiome but also aids in the detection and diagnosis of ocular diseases in the future.
  • The identification of common bacteria and their functions also helps to understand the possible beneficial or harmful effects these microorganisms might have, thus creating opportunities for potential treatments or preventive measures for diseases related to the ocular microbiome.

Cite This Article

APA
Santibáñez R, Lara F, Barros TM, Mardones E, Cuadra F, Thomson P. (2022). Ocular Microbiome in a Group of Clinically Healthy Horses. Animals (Basel), 12(8), 943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080943

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 8
PII: 943

Researcher Affiliations

Santibáñez, Rodrigo
  • Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Bioprocesos, Facultad de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago 8940000, Chile.
Lara, Felipe
  • Unidad de Cirugía y Medicina Equina, Hospital Clínico Veterinario, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370134, Chile.
Barros, Teresa M
  • Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine Specialty Ophthalmology Intern, Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital, Auburn, AL 36832, USA.
Mardones, Elizabeth
  • Laboratorio de Microbiología Clínica y Microbioma, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370134, Chile.
Cuadra, Françoise
  • Laboratorio de Microbiología Clínica y Microbioma, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370134, Chile.
Thomson, Pamela
  • Laboratorio de Microbiología Clínica y Microbioma, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 8370134, Chile.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Julien ME, Shih JB, Correa Lopes B, Vallone LV, Suchodolski JS, Pilla R, Scott EM. Alterations of the bacterial ocular surface microbiome are found in both eyes of horses with unilateral ulcerative keratitis.. PLoS One 2023;18(9):e0291028.
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  2. Thomson P, Pareja J, Núñez A, Santibáñez R, Castro R. Characterization of microbial communities and predicted metabolic pathways in the uterus of healthy mares.. Open Vet J 2022 Nov-Dec;12(6):797-805.
    doi: 10.5455/OVJ.2022.v12.i6.3pubmed: 36650865google scholar: lookup
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