Development of the faecal microbiota in foals

Costa, Márcio Paulino; Stämpfli, Henry; Allen‐Vercoe, Emma; Weese, J. Scott

doi:10.1111/evj.12532

Cited by 85 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Like in others animals, the intestinal microbiota of young foals is very dynamic and rapidly adapts to the prevailing conditions in the gut, which are influenced by various determinants like age, environment and nutrition. Thus, it was not surprising that in this study the faecal samples of foals clustered by age, in agreement with previous report (Costa, Staempfli et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Clostridia , one of the most common intestinal bacterial groups, belong to the “normal” microbiota of mammals although some of them are opportunistic pathogens (Lopetuso et al, ). Using a high‐throughput DNA sequencing method, Costa, Staempfli et al () analysed faeces from healthy foals at different ages (from 1 day to 9 month old) and mares, and found the members of Clostridiales (such as Ruminococcaceae , Lachnospiraceae and Clostridium cluster XIVa) among dominant groups. Hence, the finding, no differences in quantity of Clostridium cluster XIVa, obtained in this study corroborates the supposition of the DGGE results mentioned above.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of oral supplementation of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium on the composition of the faecal microbiota of foals

Urubschurov

Stroebel

Günther

et al. 2019

Animal Physiology Nutrition

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Effects of probiotics on the intestinal microbiota of foals are yet insufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to investigate whether supplementation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (DSM 7133) and Enterococcus faecium (DSM 7134) influences the bacterial composition of the faecal microbiota of foals. A total of 34 newborn foals were randomly assigned to the placebo group (PG, n = 16) and the treatment group (TG, n = 18). From day 1 to day 14 of life, foals orally received 3 ml of either a probiotic preparation (1.05 × 109 CFU E. faecium and 4.50 × 108 CFU L. rhamnosus) or placebo (carrier) once a day. Faeces were collected directly from the rectum immediately after birth (meconium) and at day 14 and day 56 of life. Samples of 12 foals per group were selected for microbiological analysis. DNA was extracted and used for polymerase chain reaction–denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR‐DGGE) and quantitative PCR. No DNA or amplicons were obtained from meconium. There were no differences in richness of bands and Shannon index of diversity regarding the Clostridium cluster XIVa between groups. Cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis of DGGE data showed a clear effect of age. Band‐based similarity of bacterial clusters (Dice coefficient) decreased from day 14 to day 56 of life (p < 0.001) in PG foals only resulting in lower similarity in PG versus TG foals when 2 month old (p < 0.01). Five of thirty re‐amplified bands were identified on species level. Others were assigned either to family (mainly Lachnospiraceae) or genus level (Akkermansia). The bands related to Akkermansia muciniphila or Akkermansia spp. appeared almost in all DGGE profiles. Two‐week supplementation of the probiotic preparation to foals had no significant impact on the composition of the faecal microbiota but it appears to have prevented the reduction of bacterial similarity between 2 and 8 weeks of age observed in not treated foals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of oral supplementation of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium on the composition of the faecal microbiota of foals

Urubschurov

Stroebel

Günther

et al. 2019

Animal Physiology Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Here, changes in these phyla were not identified, but it is important to note that the methods used in this study may favor classification of reads as Verrucomicrobia concomitantly decreasing the abundance of Bacteroidetes. Relative abundances of the main taxa reported here are in accordance with other studies that sequenced the same region (V4) of the 16S gene in fecal samples of horses [26,27]…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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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“…Our study extends the findings of others authors who studied the alterations in the microbiota composition in the gut of foals after maternal separation at weaning (Faubladier et al, 2014; Costa et al, 2016). Moreover, it demonstrates, for the first time, the contribution of the gut microbiota composition following maternal separation at weaning to horse phenotypes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

The Effects of Weaning Methods on Gut Microbiota Composition and Horse Physiology

et al. 2017

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Weaning has been described as one of the most stressful events in the life of horses. Given the importance of the interaction between the gut-brain axis and gut microbiota under stress, we evaluated (i) the effect of two different weaning methods on the composition of gut microbiota across time and (ii) how the shifts of gut microbiota composition after weaning affect the host. A total of 34 foals were randomly subjected to a progressive (P) or an abrupt (A) weaning method. In the P method, mares were separated from foals at progressively increasing intervals every day, starting from five min during the fourth week prior to weaning and ending with 6 h during the last week before weaning. In the A method, mares and foals were never separated prior to weaning (0 d). Different host phenotypes and gut microbiota composition were studied across 6 age strata (days −30, 0, 3, 5, 7, and 30 after weaning) by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results revealed that the beneficial species belonging to Prevotella, Paraprevotella, and Ruminococcus were more abundant in the A group prior to weaning compared to the P group, suggesting that the gut microbiota in the A cohort was better adapted to weaning. Streptococcus, on the other hand, showed the opposite pattern after weaning. Fungal loads, which are thought to increase the capacity for fermenting the complex polysaccharides from diet, were higher in P relative to A. Beyond the effects of weaning methods, maternal separation at weaning markedly shifted the composition of the gut microbiota in all foals, which fell into three distinct community types at 3 days post-weaning. Most genera in community type 2 (i.e., Eubacterium, Coprococcus, Clostridium XI, and Blautia spp.) were negatively correlated with salivary cortisol levels, but positively correlated with telomere length and N-butyrate production. Average daily gain was also greater in the foals harboring a community type 2 microbiota. Therefore, community type 2 is likely to confer better stress response adaptation following weaning. This study identified potential microbial biomarkers that could predict the likelihood for physiological adaptations to weaning in horses, although causality remains to be addressed.

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Development of the faecal microbiota in foals

Abstract: The intestinal microbiota of the equine newborn is already complex by the first day of life. Microbiota adaptation occurs during the first month and the microbiota of foals older than 60 days resemble the mother's microbiota, although differences in community membership are still present.

Cited by 85 publications

References 29 publications

Effect of oral supplementation of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium on the composition of the faecal microbiota of foals

Effect of oral supplementation of probiotic strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Enterococcus faecium on the composition of the faecal microbiota of foals

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

The Effects of Weaning Methods on Gut Microbiota Composition and Horse Physiology

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