Tracheal microbial populations in horses with moderate asthma.
Abstract: There are limited data on potential dysbiosis of the airway microbiota in horses with asthma. Objective: We hypothesized that the respiratory microbiota of horses with moderate asthma is altered. Our objectives were (a) to quantify tracheal bacterial populations using culture and qPCR, (2) to compare aerobic culture and qPCR, and (c) to correlate bacterial populations with bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytology. Methods: Eighteen horses with moderate asthma from a hospital population and 10 controls. Methods: Prospective case-control study. Aerobic culture was performed on tracheal aspirates, and streptococci, Pasteurella multocida, Chlamydophila spp., Mycoplasma spp., as well as 16S (bacterial) and 18S (fungal) rRNA subunits were quantified by qPCR. Results: Potential pathogens such as Streptococcus spp., Actinobacillus spp., and Pasteurellaceae were isolated from 8, 5, and 6 horses with asthma and 3, 0, and 2 controls, respectively. There was a positive correlation between Streptococcus spp. DNA and 16S rRNA gene (r ≥ 0.7, P ≤ 0.02 in both groups), but the overall bacterial load (16S) was lower in asthma (1.5 ± 1.3 versus 2.5 ± 0.8 × 10 copy/μL, P < 0.05). There was no association between microbial populations and clinical signs, tracheal mucus or BALF inflammation. Conclusions: This study does not support that bacterial overgrowth is a common feature of chronic moderate asthma in horses. Lower bacterial load could suggest dysbiosis of the lower airways, either as a consequence of chronic inflammation or previous treatments, or as a perpetuating factor of inflammation.
© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Publication Date: 2020-01-27 PubMed ID: 31985115PubMed Central: PMC7096658DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15707Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study explores the variety and amount of bacteria present in the airways of horses suffering from moderate asthma. It was found that the overall amount of bacteria in asthmatic horses was lower than in healthy ones, suggesting an imbalance in these populations potentially caused by chronic inflammation or past treatments. However, the team did not find that this imbalance was necessarily related to significant bacterial overgrowth or to asthmatic symptoms.
Objectives and Methodology
- The team of researchers primarily aimed to determine if the respiratory bacteria populations in horses suffering from moderate asthma differed from the norm. Their mission was to measure these bacteria through culture and a technique called qPCR.
- They also wanted to compare the results from culture and qPCR to test the validity of both methods.
- The researchers correlated the bacteria populations with the analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) to understand the relationship between bacteria and inflammation in the airways.
- They recruited 18 horses suffering from moderate asthma and 10 controls for their study and carried out a prospective case-control study.
Results and Findings
- Through aerobic culture, potential pathogens such as Streptococcus spp., Actinobacillus spp., and Pasteurellaceae were observed in the airways of horses. They found more of these bacteria in asthmatic horses than in healthy controls.
- They noted a positive correlation between Streptococcus spp. DNA and 16S rRNA gene in both groups, with r ≥ 0.7, P ≤ 0.02.
- However, the total bacterial load, indicated by 16S, was found to be lower in asthmatic horses than in the controls.
- They did not find any association between the level of bacteria present, visible symptoms, production of tracheal mucus, or the level of inflammation in the BALF.
Conclusions
- This study does not support the hypothesis that high quantity or overpopulation of bacteria is common in horses with chronic moderate asthma.
- The overall lower bacterial load in these horses points to an imbalance in bacterial communities that could either be a result of long-term inflammation or a consequence of previous treatments.
- This imbalance could potentially be a persistent factor causing inflammation in the airways.
Cite This Article
APA
Manguin E, Pépin E, Boivin R, Leclere M.
(2020).
Tracheal microbial populations in horses with moderate asthma.
J Vet Intern Med, 34(2), 986-995.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15707 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Q, Canada.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Q, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Actinobacillus / isolation & purification
- Animals
- Asthma / microbiology
- Asthma / veterinary
- Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
- Case-Control Studies
- Female
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Male
- Pasteurellaceae / isolation & purification
- Prospective Studies
- Streptococcus / isolation & purification
- Trachea / microbiology
Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors declare no conflict of interest.
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