Background There is little objective information concerning the effect of steam-flaked grains on foal’s growth performance and faecal microbiota. To determine the effects of steam-flaked grains on foal’s growth performance and faecal microbiota, faecal samples were collection from 18 foals which had been fed either corn, oat or barley diets over the 60 days of the experiment. Body weight and conformation measurements were collected. Next-generation sequencing of the V3 + V4 region of the 16 S rRNA gene was used to assess the microbial composition of faeces. Alpha diversity, Venn graph, Relative abundance and beta diversity are presented. Results There was a significantly higher larger increase in the body weight of those foals fed barley compared to either corn or oats. There were also significant changes in the Alpha diversity of the gut microbiota. The Shannon and Simpson indices were significantly higher in the barley fed group than those fed corn or oats. The Chao1 index was significantly higher in the oat fed group than the corn or barley fed groups. There were significant changes in the relative abundance of bacteria in the microbiota in terms of phylum, family and genus. The histogram of LDA value distribution showed that the 12 statistically different biomarkers of the bacteria were present. Tax4Fun function annotation clustering heat map showed that functional information was detected from 26 species of bacteria in faecal samples from the foals. Conclusions Differences by starch sources were found in overall growth of the foals and in the faecal microbiota if either supplementary corn, oat or barley was fed. Further studies are required to determine the potential impact of the changes in the microbiota on the health and development of foals fed cereal starch of different sources.

Background Roughage and concentrate supplement contain large amounts of soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). They not only reduce nutrient digestibility but also induce indigestibility in livestock. Moreover, starch particles embedded in the cereal protein matrix are not easily decomposed by starch-degrading enzymes. Glyanase, β-mannanase, β-glucanase, cellulase, protease, and amylase added to cereal diets can alleviate the adverse effects of NSP and cellulose. The current study determined the effects of adding glyanase, β-mannanase, β-glucanase, cellulase, protease, and amylase to the diet of 2-month-old suckling donkeys on their growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, fecal VFA and pH, fecal bacterial composition, and blood biochemical indices.Results On day 120 of the trial, fecal samples were collected from the rectum of donkeys for determining bacterial diversity, VFA content, and pH. Moreover, fresh fecal samples were collected from each donkey on days 110 and 115 to determine apparent digestibility. The multienzymes did not affect growth performance (P > 0.05) and apparent nutrient digestibility (P > 0.05) in the donkeys; however, they tended to increase (P = 0.0544) total height gain. At the study end, multienzymes increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) the Observed species, ACE, Chao1, and Shannon indices by 10.56%, and 10.49%, 10.47%, and 5.01%, respectively. The multienzymes also increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) the abundance of Firmicutes, Oscillospiraceae, Lachnospiraceae, Christensenellaceae, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, and Streptococcus in feces and decreased (P = 0.0086) the abundance of Proteobacteria.Conclusions Conclusively, a multienzyme-supplemented basal diet for suckling donkeys can improve their total height gain and increase fecal microbial diversity and abundance.

Background Compared with the stomach of ruminant cattle, the stomach of horse is small and mainly for chemical digestion, but the microorganisms in the stomach play an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of the internal environment. Due to the complexity of the microbes in the stomach, little is known about the diversity and structure of bacteria in the equine stomach. Grains are the main energy source for plant-eating livestock and energy is derived through enzymatic hydrolysis of grains into glucose or their microbial fermentation into Volatile fatty acids (VFA). However, the mechanism through which these ingested grains are chemically digested as well as the effect of these grains on the stomach remains elusive. This study explored the effects of feeding different grains (corn, oats, and barley) on bacterial diversity, structure, and composition in the foal’s stomach content. Furthermore, the effects of different grains on the vitality of starch digestion-related stomach enzymes were investigated. Results No significant differences were observed (P > 0.05) in the bacterial rarefaction curves of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) and diversity of the stomach microbiota in all foals. This study also revealed the statistical differences for Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Fibrobacteres, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, Unidentified_Clostridiales, Prevotellaceae, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Unidentified_Cyanobacteria, Unidentified_Clostridiales, Lactococcus, Sphingomonas, Lactobacillus_hayakitensis, Lactobacillus_equigenerosi, and Clostridium_perfringens. The linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis revealed 9 bacteria at each classification level. The functional analysis of species information by using FAPROTAX software was able to predict 35 functions, and the top 5 functions were chemoheterotrophy, fermentation, animal_parasites_or_symbionts, nitrate_reduction, and aerobic_chemoheterotrophy. The study also revealed statistical differences for pH, glucose concentration, β-amylase, maltase, and amylase. Conclusions The different grains had no significant effect on the microbial diversity of the stomach content of the foal. However, the relative bacterial abundances differed significantly in response to different diets. Particularly, oats fed to the foals significantly increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Lactobacillaceae, Lactobacillus, and Lactobacillus_hayakitensis. The grain had no significant effect on the pH of the stomach content, glucose concentration, and enzyme viability in the foal.

BackgroundAlthough the stomach in horses contributes largely to their health, the microbiota in the stomach of the horse being very complex remain largely unknown. Grains are the main energy source for these animals and energy is derived through enzymatic hydrolysis of grains into glucose or their microbial fermentation into VFA. However, the mechanism through which these ingested grains are chemically digested as well as the effect of these grains on the stomach remains elusive. This study explored the effects of feeding different grains (corn, oats, and barley) on bacterial diversity, structure, and composition in the foal’s stomach content. Furthermore, the effects of different grains on the vitality of starch digestion-related stomach enzymes were investigated.ResultsNo significant differences were observed (P > 0.05) in the bacterial rarefaction curves of OTUs and diversity of the stomach microbiota in all foals. This study also revealed the statistical differences for Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Fibrobacteres, Lactobacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, unidentified_Clostridiales, Prevotellaceae, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, unidentified_Cyanobacteria, unidentified_Clostridiales, Lactococcus, Sphingomonas, Lactobacillus_hayakitensis, Lactobacillus_equigenerosi, and Clostridium_perfringens. The linear discriminant analysis effect size analysis revealed 7 bacteria at each classification level. The functional analysis of species information by using FAPROTAX software was able to predict 35 functions, and the top 5 functions were chemoheterotrophy, fermentation, animal_parasites_or_symbionts, nitrate_reduction, and aerobic_chemoheterotrophy. The study also revealed statistical differences for pH, glucose concentration, β-amylase, maltase, and amylase.ConclusionsThe different grains had no significant effect on the microbial diversity of the gastric fluid of the foal. However, the relative bacterial abundances differed significantly in response to different diets. Particularly, oats fed to the foals significantly increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Lactobacillaceae, Lactobacillus, and Lactobacillus_hayakitensis. The grain had no significant effect on the pH of the stomach content, glucose concentration, and enzyme viability in the foal.