Molecular monitoring of the bacterial community structure in foal feces pre- and post-weaning

Faubladier, C.; Sadet-Bourgeteau, Sophie; Philippeau, Christelle; Jacotot, E.; Julliand, V.

doi:10.1016/j.anaerobe.2013.11.010

Cited by 24 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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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%

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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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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Moreover, at this age, suckling was combined with cereal-based diet and forage intake, because foals eat forage from the second day of life (Faubladier et al, 2013). As a consequence, we expect milk dry out at weaning to have only had a superficial impact on gut microbiota shifts as observed elsewhere (Faubladier et al, 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

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

et al. 2017

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“…Similar equine studies done in foals indicate that the fecal microbial community constantly changes until 30 days after birth. No changes were noted, however, at weaning (day 180) and the last sampling day (day 365) [16, 17]. Based on previous culture-based studies, the GI tract of beagle puppies was colonized at day 1 with anaerobic bacteria gradually increasing throughout post-natal development [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the fecal microbiome during neonatal and early pediatric development in puppies

et al. 2017

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Limited information is available describing the development of the neonatal fecal microbiome in dogs. Feces from puppies were collected at 2, 21, 42, and 56 days after birth. Feces were also collected from the puppies’ mothers at a single time point within 24 hours after parturition. DNA was extracted from fecal samples and 454-pyrosequencing was used to profile 16S rRNA genes. Species richness continued to increase significantly from 2 days of age until 42 days of age in puppies. Furthermore, microbial communities clustered separately from each other at 2, 21, and 42 days of age. The microbial communities belonging to dams clustered separately from that of puppies at any given time point. Major phylogenetic changes were noted at all taxonomic levels with the most profound changes being a shift from primarily Firmicutes in puppies at 2 days of age to a co-dominance of Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, and Firmicutes by 21 days of age. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between puppy microbiota development, physiological growth, neonatal survival, and morbidity.

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“…The meconium of human infants already contains a distinct microbiota, and gastrointestinal colonization further develops upon contact with the maternal microbiota and environmental bacteria [10]. There have been limited studies in horses using techniques that can adequately evaluate the complex structure of gut microbial communities [11, 12]. A recent next generation sequencing based study reported that the fecal bacterial microbiota of foals is highly variable early in life, but reaches a relatively stable population by approximately 60 days of age [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy and diarrheic foals at two and four weeks of life

et al. 2017

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BackgroundDiarrhea in foals affects up to 60% of foals during the first six months of life. The effect of diarrhea on the fecal bacterial microbiota in foals has not been investigated. Little is known on the fecal bacterial microbial richness and diversity of foals at a young age. The objective was to compare the fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy foals to foals with diarrhea at two and four weeks of life.MethodsFecal samples were collected from foals (n = 20) at 1–14 (T1) and 15–28 (T2) days of age and analyzed using high throughput sequencing. Differences in relative abundance of bacterial taxa, alpha diversity and beta diversity indices were assessed between age-matched foals with diarrhea (n = 9) and healthy foals (n = 11), and between time points.ResultsDifferences in microbial community composition based on time point and health status were observed on all taxonomic levels. Of 117 enriched species in healthy foals at T2, 50 (48%) were Lachnospiraceae or Ruminococcaceae. The Chao richness index was increased in healthy foals at T2 compared to T1 (p = 0.02). Foals with diarrhea had a significantly lower richness index than non-diarrheic foals at T2 (p = 0.04). Diarrhea had an inconsistent effect, while time point had a consistent effect on microbial community structure.ConclusionsPreventative and therapeutic measures for diarrhea should focus on maintaining bacterial microbiota richness. Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae were underrepresented in foals with diarrhea. These should be evaluated further as potential therapeutic options.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-017-1064-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Molecular monitoring of the bacterial community structure in foal feces pre- and post-weaning

Cited by 24 publications

References 38 publications

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

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

Characterization of the fecal microbiome during neonatal and early pediatric development in puppies

Comparison of the fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy and diarrheic foals at two and four weeks of life

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