Fecal Microbiome Responses to Sudden Diet Change in Mangalarga Marchador horses

Abstract

Sudden changes in horses’ diet have been previously associated with gastrointestinal disease. This study evaluated the effects of a sudden change of diet composed exclusively of Coastcross hay (CHD) to a complete extruded diet (CED) on the fecal microbiome of horses. A completely randomized design with repeated measurements was used. The study started with eight adult horses randomly split into group A, fed with CHD, and group B, fed with CED. After 34 days of diet adaptation, the diets were abruptly changed between the groups. Fecal samples were collected at 0, 24, and 96 hours after the diet change, and the pH and microbiome analyses of the feces were subsequently evaluated. Changing from CHD to CED reduced the alpha diversity 24 hours after the alteration, with a decrease in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and an increase of Bacteroidetes. Fecal pH decreased and the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia increased 96 hours after changing the diets. The community structure was also different after 96 hours of diet change. In contrast, 24 hours after changing from CED to CHD reduced fecal pH and abundance of Synergistetes. After 96 hours, there was an increase in the alpha diversity, and the abundance of the phylum Lentisphaerae. Group B showed no changes in the community structure when its diet was changed. Concluding, diet composition influenced the response of the equine fecal microbiome to sudden dietary changes.