Factors Influencing Equine Gut Microbiota: Current Knowledge

Garber, A.; Hastie, P.M.; Murray, Jo-Anne

doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2020.102943

Cited by 98 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 150 publications

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“…Based on previous studies of the equine microbiome [49], and given that all animals were clinically healthy at the time of sampling, the differences in management between groups which were likely to be responsible for the observed differences were diet [31,19,50,51,17,52], drug use [53,48,54,57], level of GI parasites [48,54,55] and, potentially, handling stress [56]. We attempted to dissect these factors by recording the dietary differences, drug use and GI helminths burden (by proxy of FEC) in each group at the time of sampling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Equine Faecal Microbiota Undergoes Step-wise Compositional Changes in Accordance With Increasing Levels of Domestication

Bull

Davies

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundChanges to the gut microbiota are associated with an increased incidence of disease in many species. This is particularly important during the process of domestication, where captive animals commonly suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) pathology. Horses are a prime example of a species which suffers from a high incidence of (often life-threatening) GI diseases in domesticated environments. We aimed to indentify the gut microbial changes which occur due to domestication in horses by profiling the faecal microbiota of adult female Exmoor ponies under three management conditions, representing increasing levels of domestication.MethodsFaecal samples were collected from 29 adult female Exmoor ponies in the South West of the UK; ponies were categorised as Feral (n=10), Semi-Feral (n=10) and Domesticated (n=9), based on their management conditions; thus controlling for age, gender and random effects between groups. Diet and medication were recorded and faecal samples taken to assess parasite infection. Faecal microbial composition was profiled via high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene.ResultsDownstream biostatistical analysis indicated profound step-wise changes in global microbial community structure in the transition from Feral to Semi-Feral to Domesticated groups. A relatively high abundance of members of the phylum Proteobacteria and Tenericutes were associated with the Domesticated group; and higher levels of Methanobacteria were seen in the Feral group. The Semi-Feral group frequently had intermediate levels of these taxa; however, they also exhibited the greatest ‘within group’ variation in bacterial diversity and parasites burdens. Functional predictions revealed increased amino acid and lipid metabolism in the Domesticated group and increased energy metabolism in the Feral group; supporting a hypothesis that differences in diet was the key driver of gut microbial composition. ConclusionsIf assumed the Feral population has a more natural gut microbial phenotype, akin to that with which horses have evolved, these data can potentially be used to provide microbial signitures of balanced gut homeostasis in horses; which, in turn, will aid prevention of GI disease in domesticated horses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Equine Faecal Microbiota Undergoes Step-wise Compositional Changes in Accordance With Increasing Levels of Domestication

Bull

Davies

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Although the viral component of the intestinal microbiome is now widely believed to be an important factor in both shaping the microbial community of the gut and mediating its interactions with the macro-host (14,(18)(19)(20). The equine intestinal bacterial community has been extensively studied, and it is now considered to influence horse organism homeostasis and health, to the same extent as bacteria in the human gut (reviewed in (35,55), see also (56,57). The equine gut bacterial community is involved in pathology of specific diseases such as equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis (58).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the present work we focus on the ecogenomics of dsDNA viruses present in horse feces. The equine intestinal microbiome plays an essential role in animal nutrition, allowing the horse to digest cellulose which is the major component of the grass consumed (35). In contrast to ruminants where microbial cellulose digestion takes place in the forestomach (rumen), in horses the cellulolytic microbial community develops in the cecum and large intestine that have a cumulative volume of about 100 L with food retention time about 48-72 hours (36).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ecogenomics of dsDNA bacteriophages in feces of stabled and feral horses

Babenko

Millard

Kulikov

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The viromes of the mammalian lower gut were shown to be heavily dominated by bacteriophages; however, only for humans were the composition and intervariability of the bacteriophage communities studied in depth. Here we present an ecogenomics survey of dsDNA bacteriophage diversity in the feces of horses (Equus caballus), comparing two groups of stabled horses, and a further group of feral horses that were isolated on an island. Our results indicate that the dsDNA viromes of the horse feces feature higher richness than in human viromes, with more even distribution of genotypes. No over-represented phage genotypes, such as CrAssphage-related viruses found in humans, were identified. Additionally, many bacteriophage genus-level clusters were found to be present in all three geographically isolated populations. The diversity of the horse intestinal bacteriophages is severely undersampled, and so consequently only a minor fraction of the phage contigs could be linked with the bacteriophage genomes. Our study indicates that bacteriophage ecological parameters in the intestinal ecosystems in horses and humans differ significantly, leading them to shape their corresponding viromes in different ways. Therefore, the diversity and structure of the intestinal virome in different animal species needs to be experimentally studied.Short abstract (needed in some journals as eLife)The viromes of the mammalian gut were shown to be heavily dominated by bacteriophages; however, only for humans were the composition and intervariability of the bacteriophage communities studied in depth. Here we present an ecogenomics survey of dsDNA bacteriophage diversity in the feces of horses (Equus caballus), comparing stabled horses, and feral horses that were isolated on an island. The viromes equine fecal viromes feature higher richness than in human viromes, with more even distribution of genotypes. No over-represented phage genotypes were identified. Additionally, many bacteriophage genus-level clusters were found to be present in geographically isolated populations. Only a minor fraction of the phage contigs could be linked with the bacteriophage genomes. Our study indicates that bacteriophage ecological parameters in the intestinal ecosystems in horses and humans differ significantly, leading them to shape their corresponding viromes in different ways.Importance. (needed for mBio)The study presents the first in depth analysis of the composition and variability of the gut dsDNA bacteriophage community in the mammalian species, other than humans. The study demonstrates that the bacteriophage ecology in the gut is substantially different in different animal species. The results also indicate that the genetic diversity of the equine intestinal bacteriophages is immense and almost totally unexplored by the moment.

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“…The digestive process like gut motility, absorption, secretion and the blood flow is influenced by the nervous system [30]. Although there is a bit links between the CNC and the digestive system, but the gut is capable of having their own nervous system called as the enteric nervous system (ENS).…”

Section: The Nervous System Of the Gastrointestinal Tractmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphophysiological Study of Gastrointestinal Tract of the Donkey (Equus asinus)

Sikandar¹

2020

Equine Science

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In most of the developing countries, donkeys are used to carry goods and water and to guard herds as a livestock guardian. Donkeys possessed a good digestive system and are being offered only low-cost fibers diet like hay and straw. Despite the biological potential of the donkey, only a few studies have focused on the morphophysiological aspects of their digestive system. A series of tubular organs and associated glands are present in the digestive system. Although generally the morphology of the donkey digestive system is comparable to the horse, few dissimilarities exist among such species. In this chapter, we tried to highlight the anatomy, histology and physiology of the digestive system of domestic donkeys including tongue (mucosa, papillae, muscle, taste buds), teeth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, saccus cecus, descending part, an ascending part and transversal part of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon (right dorsal and ventral; left dorsal and ventral), rectum and anal canal. The microarchitecture of the tunica mucosa, next to the lumen, is focused upon. Morphology of the large accessary digestive glands viz. salivary gland, liver and pancreas were also highlighted. These structures are situated away from the gut-tubular system but are attached to its lumen through their specified duct system. Furthermore, peculiar microstructures of the internal layers, immune system and microbiome of the gut were correspondingly highlighted in the chapter.

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Factors Influencing Equine Gut Microbiota: Current Knowledge

Cited by 98 publications

References 150 publications

The Equine Faecal Microbiota Undergoes Step-wise Compositional Changes in Accordance With Increasing Levels of Domestication

The Equine Faecal Microbiota Undergoes Step-wise Compositional Changes in Accordance With Increasing Levels of Domestication

The ecogenomics of dsDNA bacteriophages in feces of stabled and feral horses

Morphophysiological Study of Gastrointestinal Tract of the Donkey (Equus asinus)

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