Changes in the faecal microbiota of mares precede the development of <i>post partum</i> colic

Weese, J. Scott; Holcombe, Susan J.; Embertson, R. M.; Kurtz, K. A.; Roessner, H. A.; Jalali, Mohammad; Wismer, S. E.

doi:10.1111/evj.12361

Cited by 128 publications

(152 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The majority of intestinal microbes are refractory to culture and the ability to interrogate these rich and dynamic microbial communities using culture-independent methods has only recently become technically and economically feasible. Indeed, several groups have now described the composition of fecal [25–31] and gastric [32] microbiota in healthy horses, as well as associations between specific conditions affecting horses (such as laminitis [22], colic [31], and colitis [33]) and characteristic changes in the fecal microbiota. That said, there are still many uncertainties regarding the healthy equine gut microbiota including the composition of the gastric and small intestinal microbiota in relation to that colonizing the cecum and colon, and the composition of mucosal communities in relation to the luminal contents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies applying next-generation sequencing methods to healthy equine hindgut samples have detected Firmicutes -dominated microbial profiles, followed in relative abundance by some combination of Bacteroidetes , Proteobacteria , or Verrucomicrobia as the second and third most prevalent phyla, depending on the study [22, 26, 31, 33]. In all of these studies, bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes outweighed the next most common phylum by a ratio of 4:1 or greater, in contrast to the present data wherein the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio was approximately 1:1 in all horses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Microbiological Map of the Healthy Equine Gastrointestinal Tract

et al. 2016

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Horses are exquisitely sensitive to non-specific gastrointestinal disturbances as well as systemic and extraintestinal conditions related to gut health, yet minimal data are available regarding the composition of the microbiota present in the equine stomach, small intestine, and cecum and their relation to fecal microbiota. Moreover, there is minimal information regarding the concordance of the luminal and mucosal microbial communities throughout the equine gut. Illumina-based 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the luminal and mucosal microbiota present in seven regions of the gastrointestinal tract of nine healthy adult horses revealed a distinct compositional divide between the small and large intestines. This disparity in composition was more pronounced within the luminal contents, but was also detected within mucosal populations. Moreover, the uniformity of the gut microbiota was much higher in the cecum and colon relative to that in the stomach, jejunum and ileum, despite a significantly higher number of unique sequences detected in the colon. Collectively, the current data suggest that while colonic samples (a proxy for feces) may provide a reasonable profile of the luminal contents of the healthy equine large intestine, they are not informative with regard to the contents of the stomach or small intestine. In contrast to the distinct difference between the highly variable upper gastrointestinal tract microbiota and relatively uniform large bowel microbiota present within the lumen, these data also demonstrate a regional continuity present in mucosal microbial communities throughout the length of the equine gut.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Microbiological Map of the Healthy Equine Gastrointestinal Tract

et al. 2016

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“…In horses, the intestinal microbiota can be modified by various factors, such as gastrointestinal diseases [1], changes in diet [2], the use of antibiotics [3,4] and general anesthesia [5]. A recent study found that changes in the intestinal microbiota might predict the development of postpartum gastrointestinal disease [6], indicating that alterations in the microbiota resulting from various physiological events might alter the risk of subsequent disease. Recent studies using genetic sequencing techniques reported that exercise modified the structure of the intestinal microbiota in mice [7,8,9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intense Exercise and Aerobic Conditioning Associated with Chromium or L-Carnitine Supplementation Modified the Fecal Microbiota of Fillies

et al. 2016

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Recent studies performed in humans and rats have reported that exercise can alter the intestinal microbiota. Athletic horses perform intense exercise regularly, but studies characterizing horse microbiome during aerobic conditioning programs are still limited. Evidence has indicated that this microbial community is involved in the metabolic homeostasis of the host. Research on ergogenic substances using new sequencing technologies have been limited to the intestinal microbiota and there is a considerable demand for scientific studies that verify the effectiveness of these supplements in horses. L-carnitine and chromium are potentially ergogenic substances for athletic humans and horses since they are possibly able to modify the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. This study aimed to assess the impact of acute exercise and aerobic conditioning, associated either with L-carnitine or chromium supplementation, on the intestinal microbiota of fillies. Twelve “Mangalarga Marchador” fillies in the incipient fitness stage were distributed into four groups: control (no exercise), exercise, L-carnitine (10g/day) and chelated chromium (10mg/day). In order to investigate the impact of acute exercise or aerobic conditioning on fecal microbiota all fillies undergoing the conditioning program were analyzed as a separate treatment. The fillies underwent two incremental exercise tests before and after training on a treadmill for 42 days at 70–80% of the lactate threshold intensity. Fecal samples were obtained before and 48 h after acute exercise (incremental exercise test). Bacterial populations were characterized by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene using the MiSeq Illumina platform, and 5,224,389 sequences were obtained from 48 samples. The results showed that, overall, the two most abundant phyla were Firmicutes (50.22%) followed by Verrucomicrobia (15.13%). The taxa with the highest relative abundances were unclassified Clostridiales (17.06%) and "5 genus incertae sedis" from the phylum Verrucomicrobia (12.98%). There was a decrease in the phylum Chlamydiae and in the genus Mycobacterium after the second incremental exercise test. Intense exercise changed the community’s structure and aerobic conditioning was associated with changes in the composition and structure of the intestinal bacterial population of fillies. The intra-group comparison showed that chromium or L-carnitine induced moderate changes in the fecal microbiota of fillies, but the microbiota did not differ from the control group, which was exercised with no supplementation. Fecal pH correlated positively with Simpson’s index, while plasma pH correlated negatively. Our results show that exercise and aerobic conditioning can change in the microbiota and provide a basis for further studies enrolling a larger number of horses at different fitness levels to better understand the effects of exercise and training on the intestinal microbiota of horses.

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“…10 Another area of research that is providing exciting new ideas about why colic develops and how some forms might be prevented in the future are investigations into the equine gut microbiome, such as the relationship between the gut microbiota and large colon torsion in brood mares. 11 While microbiome studies are expensive and limited funds are available, further research in this area is important.…”

Section: Finding Something Newmentioning

confidence: 99%