Abstract
Colic (abdominal pain) is a common cause of mortality in horses. Change in management of horses is associated with increased colic risk and seasonal patterns of increased risk have been identified. Shifts in gut microbiota composition in response to management change have been proposed as one potential underlying mechanism for colic. However, the intestinal microbiota in normal horses and how this varies over different seasons has not previously been investigated. In this study the faecal microbiota composition was studied over 12 months in a population of horses managed at pasture with minimal changes in management. We hypothesised that gut microbiota would be stable in this population over time. Faecal samples were collected every 14 days from 7 horses for 52 weeks and the faecal microbiota was characterised by next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The faecal microbiota was dominated by members of the phylum Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes throughout. Season, supplementary forage and ambient weather conditions were significantly associated with change in the faecal microbiota composition. These results provide important baseline information demonstrating physiologic variation in the faecal microbiota of normal horses over a 12-month period without development of colic.
Highlights
IntroductionColic (abdominal pain) is a common cause of death in horses and is a key health concern for horse owners[1]
Colic is a common cause of death in horses and is a key health concern for horse owners[1]
The objectives of the current study were to determine if stability is an integral feature of the horse gut microbiota in a population of normal horses kept solely at pasture over a 52-week period, without other management changes such as stabling and provision of concentrate feed, and to investigate if ambient weather conditions such as rainfall and temperature had any effect on these microbial populations
Summary
Colic (abdominal pain) is a common cause of death in horses and is a key health concern for horse owners[1]. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that changes in the horse hindgut microbial communities (gut microbiota) in response to diet change[9], feeding a high-concentrate diet[10,11], changes in access to pasture[12] and transportation[13] may play a role in the relationship between these known risk factors for colic and colic risk It is unknown whether stability over time is a primary feature of these microbial populations, under constant management conditions. The objectives of the current study were to determine if stability is an integral feature of the horse gut microbiota in a population of normal horses kept solely at pasture over a 52-week period, without other management changes such as stabling and provision of concentrate feed, and to investigate if ambient weather conditions such as rainfall and temperature had any effect on these microbial populations. This would provide important baseline information needed to determine if these changes are different in horses that develop colic
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