Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.
Abstract: A healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract with a properly established microbiota is necessary for a foal to develop into a healthy weanling. A foal's health can be critically impacted by aberrations in the microbiome such as with diarrhea which can cause great morbidity and mortality in foals. In this study, we hypothesized that gut establishment in the foal transitioning from a diet of milk to a diet of grain, forage, and pasture would be detectable through analyses of the fecal microbiotas. Fecal samples from 37 sets of foals and mares were collected at multiple time points ranging from birth to weaning. Bacterial DNA was isolated from the samples, and the V4 domain of bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified via polymerase chain reaction. Next generation sequencing was then performed on the resulting amplicons, and analyses were performed to characterize the microbiome as well as the relative abundance of microbiota present. We found that bacterial population compositions followed a pattern throughout the early life of the foal in an age-dependent manner. As foals transitioned from milk consumption to a forage and grain diet, there were recognizable changes in fecal microbial compositions from initial populations predominant in the ability to metabolize milk to populations capable of utilizing fibrous plant material. We were also able to recognize differences in microbial populations amongst diarrheic foals as well as microbial population differences associated with differences in management styles between facilities. Future efforts will gauge the effects of lesser abundant bacterial populations that could also be essential to GI health, as well as to determine how associations between microbial population profiles and animal management practices can be used to inform strategies for improving upon the health and growth of horses overall.
Publication Date: 2019-04-30 PubMed ID: 31039168PubMed Central: PMC6490953DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216211Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigates how gut bacteria in young horses (foals) change as they transition from milk to a diet of grain and forage, and how these changes can be traced by analyzing fecal samples.
Research Purpose
- The main purpose of this study was to understand how the gut microbiota within a foal changes from the time of birth up until the point of weaning. The researchers hypothesized that this transition, which involves a change from a milk-based diet to a diet of grain, forage, and pasture, would be noticeable through analyses of fecal microbiotas.
Methodology
- The researchers collected fecal samples from 37 sets of foals and their mothers.
- These samples were taken at different times, ranging from birth until the foal was weaned.
- Particular bacterial DNA was isolated and a specific domain of bacterial 16S rRNA genes was amplified using a laboratory technique called polymerase chain reaction.
- Next generation sequencing was then utilized to sequence the resulting amplicons.
- All these procedures were carried out with the aim of characterizing the populous microbiome, and to establish the relative abundance of different microbial populations.
Findings
- The researchers discovered that the composition of bacterial populations exhibited an age-dependent pattern throughout the early life of the foals.
- As foals transitioned from a diet based on milk consumption, to a diet consisting forage and grain, distinct shifts were noted in the fecal microbial compositions.
- It was observed that initial bacterial populations, more efficient at metabolizing milk, gave way to populations more capable of utilizing fibrous plant material.
- The study also revealed notable differences in microbial compositions amongst foals suffering from diarrhea, and differences related to varying facility management styles.
Future Implications
- This research will pave the way for future studies focusing on the impacts of less abundant bacterial populations, which could prove to be just as crucial to gastrointestinal health.
- It will also help to identify associations between microbial population profiles and animal management practices, leading to better strategies for improving the overall health and growth of horses.
Cite This Article
APA
De La Torre U, Henderson JD, Furtado KL, Pedroja M, Elenamarie O, Mora A, Pechanec MY, Maga EA, Mienaltowski MJ.
(2019).
Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.
PLoS One, 14(4), e0216211.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216211 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Bacteria / growth & development
- Biodiversity
- Feces / microbiology
- Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology
- Horses / microbiology
- Metagenomics
- Microbiota
- Phylogeny
- Principal Component Analysis
- Weaning
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
References
This article includes 75 references
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