Prevalence of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens in Swiss horses with and without gastrointestinal disease and microbiota composition in relation to Clostridium difficile shedding.
Abstract: Overgrowth of enteric clostridia in dysbiosis in horses with colic is presumed but scarcely investigated. The objective was to provide prevalence data of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens in horses with and without gastrointestinal disease in Switzerland, and investigate microbiota differences between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders. Fecal samples were taken from healthy horses (n = 103), horses with colic (n = 98) and horses with diarrhea (n = 151). Colic horses were sampled on three days. Selective enrichment culture and molecular typing for C. difficile and C. perfringens was performed. Microbiota differences between horses with colic shedding (n = 7) and not shedding (n = 7) C. difficile were assessed using metagenomic sequencing. The cumulative prevalence (19% C. difficile; 16% C. perfringens) was higher compared to single day samples (1-10% C. difficile; 3-8% C. perfringens, all p < 0.003). Horses with colic shed significantly more C. difficile (p < 0.001) but not C. perfringens (p = 0.09) compared to healthy horses. Prevalence in horses with diarrhea was 8% for both Clostridium species. There were no significant microbiota differences between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders with regards to relative abundance on any phylogenetic level, and alpha diversity. Limited differences were seen on LEfSE analysis and in beta diversity indices. Multiple fecal samples should be taken when investigating shedding of enteric clostridia. As horses with colic shed more enteric clostridia compared to healthy horses special biosecurity protocols for horses with colic should be considered in hospitals. Differences in microbiota composition between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders were limited. Further studies on the role of dysbiosis in C. difficile are needed.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-09-29 PubMed ID: 31767096DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.108433Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research investigates the prevalence of certain harmful bacteria, specifically Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens, in horses with and without gastrointestinal diseases in Switzerland. It also examines differences in gut microbiota between horses that shed and do not shed C. difficile.
Research Methodology
- The study was conducted on fecal samples collected from different categories of horses- 103 healthy horses, 98 horses suffering from colic, and 151 with diarrhea. Sampling for horses with colic was done over three days.
- The researchers used selective enrichment culture and molecular typing to identify the presence of C. difficile and C. perfringens in the samples.
- The differences in the gut microbiota between horses with colic who were shedding and not shedding C. difficile were studied using metagenomic sequencing, a process used to analyze the genetic material of microbial communities in environmental samples.
Results
- The research found that the prevalence of C. difficile and C. perfringens was higher in cumulative samples compared to single day samples. 19% of cumulative samples contained C. difficile and 16% contained C. perfringens, while the percentages for single day samples were lower (1-10% for C. difficile and 3-8% for C. perfringens).
- Horses with colic shed more C. difficile compared to healthy horses, but the same was not true for C. perfringens.
- In horses with diarrhea, the prevalence of both species of Clostridium was 8%.
- The gut microbiota’s relative abundance, alpha diversity, and differences on the LEfSE analysis and beta diversity indices between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders showed no significant differences.
Implications and Further Study
- The study suggests that multiple fecal samples should be taken over a longer duration for an accurate diagnosis of the shedding of enteric clostridia.
- Potential biosecurity protocols for horses with colic should be considered, given their higher rates of shedding enteric clostridia compared to healthy horses.
- The limited differences in microbiota between C. difficile shedders and non-shedders indicate that further studies are required to understand the role of dysbiosis in C. difficile shedding.
Cite This Article
APA
Schoster A, Kunz T, Lauper M, Graubner C, Schmitt S, Weese JS.
(2019).
Prevalence of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens in Swiss horses with and without gastrointestinal disease and microbiota composition in relation to Clostridium difficile shedding.
Vet Microbiol, 239, 108433.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.108433 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Zurich, Vetsuisse Faculty, Equine Department, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: aschoster@vetclinics.uzh.ch.
- University of Zurich, Vetsuisse Faculty, Equine Department, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: tanja.kunz@uzh.ch.
- University of Berne, Vetsuisse Faculty, Institut Suisse de Médicine Equine, Länggassstrasse 124, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: Murielle.lauper@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
- University of Berne, Vetsuisse Faculty, Institut Suisse de Médicine Equine, Länggassstrasse 124, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: claudia.Graubner@vetsuisse.unibe.ch.
- University of Zurich, Vetsuisse Faculty, Section of Veterinary Bacteriology, Winterthurerstrasse 270, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: sarah.schmitt@vetbakt.uzh.ch.
- University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, Department of Pathobiology, N1G2W1 Guelph, Canada. Electronic address: jsweese@uoguelph.ca.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Clostridioides difficile / classification
- Clostridioides difficile / genetics
- Clostridium Infections / epidemiology
- Clostridium Infections / microbiology
- Clostridium Infections / veterinary
- Clostridium perfringens / classification
- Clostridium perfringens / genetics
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / epidemiology
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / microbiology
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Molecular Typing
- Prevalence
- Switzerland / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Stummer M, Frisch V, Glitz F, Hinney B, Spergser J, Krücken J, Diekmann I, Dimmel K, Riedel C, Cavalleri JV, Rümenapf T, Joachim A, Lyrakis M, Auer A. Presence of Equine and Bovine Coronaviruses, Endoparasites, and Bacteria in Fecal Samples of Horses with Colic. Pathogens 2023 Aug 15;12(8).
- Gomez DE, Leclere M, Arroyo LG, Li L, John E, Afonso T, Payette F, Darby S. Acute diarrhea in horses: A multicenter Canadian retrospective study (2015 to 2019). Can Vet J 2022 Oct;63(10):1033-1042.
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