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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(10); 2859; doi: 10.3390/ani11102859

Species-Level Gut Microbiota Analysis after Antibiotic-Induced Dysbiosis in Horses.

Abstract: All current studies have used Illumina short-read sequencing to characterize the equine intestinal microbiota. Long-read sequencing can classify bacteria at the species level. The objectives of this study were to characterize the gut microbiota of horses at the species level before and after trimethoprim sulfadiazine (TMS) administration and to compare results with Illumina sequencing. Nine horses received TMS (30 mg/kg) orally for 5 days twice a day to induce dysbiosis. Illumina sequencing of the V4 region or full-length PacBio sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed in fecal samples collected before and after antibiotic administration. The relative abundance and alpha diversity were compared between the two technologies. PacBio failed to classify the equine intestinal microbiota at the species level but confirmed Bacteroidetes as the most abundant bacteria in the feces of the studied horses, followed by Firmicutes and Fibrobacteres. An unknown species of the Bacteroidales order was highly abundant (13%) and deserves further investigation. In conclusion, PacBio was not suitable to classify the equine microbiota species but detected greater richness and less unclassified bacteria. Further efforts in improving current databanks to be used in equine studies are necessary.
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Publication Date: 2021-09-30 PubMed ID: 34679880PubMed Central: PMC8533001DOI: 10.3390/ani11102859Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 studied the impact of an antibiotic, trimethoprim sulfadiazine, on the gut microbiota of horses using two types of sequencing technologies, Illumina short-read and PacBio long-read. The findings suggest PacBio technology was not effective at classifying bacterial species but showed more diversity and less undefined bacteria.

Objectives of the Study

  • The study aimed to understand the impact of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis on the gut microbiota of horses.
  • The focus was to use two sequencing technologies, Illumina short-read and PacBio long-read sequencing, to classify bacteria at the species level.
  • Trimethoprim sulfadiazine (TMS), an antibiotic, was used to induce dysbiosis, an imbalance or disruption in the gut microbiota, in the horses.

Methodology

  • The study included nine horses that were administrated an oral dose of TMS for five days to stimulate dysbiosis.
  • Fecal samples were obtained from the horses before and after the antibiotic administration.
  • These samples were then processed using both Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies for comparison purposes.

Results

  • PacBio sequencing failed to successfully classify the intestinal microbiota of the horses at species level, unlike Illumina sequencing.
  • PacBio sequencing confirmed that Bacteroidetes was the most prevalent bacteria present in the horse feces. This was followed by Firmicutes and Fibrobacteres.
  • An unidentified Bacteroidales species was found to be highly abundant (13%) in the horse feces, indicating a need for further investigation.
  • The results did show that PacBio sequencing detected a greater amount of diversity (richness) in the microbiota, and less unclassified bacteria compared to Illumina sequencing.

Conclusion

  • The study concluded that PacBio sequencing was not as effective as Illumina for classifying bacteria at the species level in the horse intestinal microbiota.
  • PacBio sequencing proved beneficial in showing greater biodiversity and fewer unclassified bacteria.
  • The findings suggest a requirement for further developments in current databases to improve bacterial classification in future equine studies.

Cite This Article

APA
Di Pietro R, Arroyo LG, Leclere M, Costa MC. (2021). Species-Level Gut Microbiota Analysis after Antibiotic-Induced Dysbiosis in Horses. Animals (Basel), 11(10), 2859. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102859

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 10
PII: 2859

Researcher Affiliations

Di Pietro, Rebecca
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada.
Arroyo, Luis G
  • Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
Leclere, Mathilde
  • Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada.
Costa, Marcio Carvalho
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada.

Grant Funding

  • 054224 / Equine Guelph
  • 04514-2018 / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 10 times.
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