Abstract
BackgroundAbortion in horses leads to economic and welfare losses to the equine industry. Most cases of equine abortions are sporadic, and the cause is often unknown. This study aimed to detect potential abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases in Australia using metagenomic deep sequencing methods.ResultsAfter sequencing and analysis, a total of 68 and 86 phyla were detected in the material originating from 49 equine abortion samples and 8 samples from normal deliveries, respectively. Most phyla were present in both groups, with the exception of Chlamydiae that were only present in abortion samples. Around 2886 genera were present in the abortion samples and samples from normal deliveries at a cut off value of 0.001% of relative abundance. Significant differences in species diversity between aborted and normal tissues was observed. Several potential abortigenic pathogens were identified at a high level of relative abundance in a number of the abortion cases, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus, Pantoea agglomerans, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Chlamydia psittaci.ConclusionsThis work revealed the presence of several potentially abortigenic pathogens in aborted specimens. No novel potential abortigenic agents were detected. The ability to screen samples for multiple pathogens that may not have been specifically targeted broadens the frontiers of diagnostic potential. The future use of metagenomic approaches for diagnostic purposes is likely to be facilitated by further improvements in deep sequencing technologies.
Highlights
Abortion in horses leads to economic and welfare losses to the equine industry
To date metagenomic sequencing approaches have not been applied to the detection of abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases
Conclusions metagenomic approaches have previously been used as a molecular diagnostic tool to detect causes of infectious diseases, such approaches have not previously been applied to the detection of causes of equine abortion
Summary
Abortion in horses leads to economic and welfare losses to the equine industry. Most cases of equine abortions are sporadic, and the cause is often unknown. This study aimed to detect potential abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases in Australia using metagenomic deep sequencing methods. Knowledge of specific infectious agents present within a region can assist veterinarians to identify the cause of an abortion, but causes can change over time. This may be a reflection of improved diagnostic capabilities or the emergence or re-emergence of specific infectious agents [3, 17, 18]. To date metagenomic sequencing approaches have not been applied to the detection of abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases. The main aim of this study was to identify abortigenic pathogens in equine abortion cases in Australia using metagenomic deep sequencing methods
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