Abstract

Free faecal liquid (FFL) is a condition in horses which manifests as differential defecation of solid and liquid phases of faeces. The etiology of FFL is currently unknown, but deviances in the hindgut microbiota has been suggested to be of importance. The present study aimed to compare the faecal bacterial composition of farm-matched horses with (case, n = 50) and without (control, n = 50) FFL. Samples were collected at three different occasions. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced using Illumina sequencing. Also, samples were cultivated for detection of Clostridioides difficile and Clostridium perfringens. Analysis revealed similar faecal bacterial composition between case and control horses, but an effect of sampling period (p = 0.0001). Within sampling periods, 14 genera were present in higher or lower proportions in case compared to control horses in at least one sampling period. Compared to controls, case horses had higher relative abundance of Alloprevotella (adjusted p < 0.04) and lower relative abundance of Bacillus spp. (adjusted p < 0.03) in at least two sampling periods. All horses tested negative for C. difficile and C. perfringens by culture of faeces. Further studies are required to establish the clinical relevance of specific bacterial taxa in FFL.

Details

Title
Faecal bacterial composition in horses with and without free faecal liquid: a case control study
Author
Lindroth, Katrin M 1 ; Dicksved Johan 1 ; Pelve Erik 2 ; Båverud Viveca 3 ; Müller, Cecilia E 1 

 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.6341.0) (ISNI:0000 0000 8578 2742) 
 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.6341.0) (ISNI:0000 0000 8578 2742) 
 National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden (GRID:grid.419788.b) (ISNI:0000 0001 2166 9211) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2493701412
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.