Dataset Information

Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.

ABSTRACT: A healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract with a properly established microbiota is necessary for a foal to develop into a healthy weanling. A foal's health can be critically impacted by aberrations in the microbiome such as with diarrhea which can cause great morbidity and mortality in foals. In this study, we hypothesized that gut establishment in the foal transitioning from a diet of milk to a diet of grain, forage, and pasture would be detectable through analyses of the fecal microbiotas. Fecal samples from 37 sets of foals and mares were collected at multiple time points ranging from birth to weaning. Bacterial DNA was isolated from the samples, and the V4 domain of bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified via polymerase chain reaction. Next generation sequencing was then performed on the resulting amplicons, and analyses were performed to characterize the microbiome as well as the relative abundance of microbiota present. We found that bacterial population compositions followed a pattern throughout the early life of the foal in an age-dependent manner. As foals transitioned from milk consumption to a forage and grain diet, there were recognizable changes in fecal microbial compositions from initial populations predominant in the ability to metabolize milk to populations capable of utilizing fibrous plant material. We were also able to recognize differences in microbial populations amongst diarrheic foals as well as microbial population differences associated with differences in management styles between facilities. Future efforts will gauge the effects of lesser abundant bacterial populations that could also be essential to GI health, as well as to determine how associations between microbial population profiles and animal management practices can be used to inform strategies for improving upon the health and growth of horses overall.

SUBMITTER: De La Torre U

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6490953 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.

De La Torre Ubaldo U Henderson John D JD Furtado Kathleen L KL Pedroja Madeleine M Elenamarie O'Malley O Mora Anthony A Pechanec Monica Y MY Maga Elizabeth A EA Mienaltowski Michael J MJ

PloS one 20190430 4

A healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract with a properly established microbiota is necessary for a foal to develop into a healthy weanling. A foal's health can be critically impacted by aberrations in the microbiome such as with diarrhea which can cause great morbidity and mortality in foals. In this study, we hypothesized that gut establishment in the foal transitioning from a diet of milk to a diet of grain, forage, and pasture would be detectable through analyses of the fecal microbiotas. Fecal ...[more]

PMID: 31039168

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Project description:IntroductionA better understanding of the microbiota community in donkey foals during the weaning transition is a prerequisite to optimize gut function and improve feed efficiency. The objective of the present study was to investigate the dynamic changes in fecal microbiota in donkey foals from pre-to post-weaning period.MethodsA total of 27 fecal samples of donkey foals were collected in the rectum before morning feeding at pre-weaning (30 days of age, PreW group, n = 9), dur-weaning (100 days of age, DurW group, n = 9) and post-weaning (170 days of age, PostW group, n = 9) period. The 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing were employed to indicate the microbial changes during the weaning period.ResultsIn the present study, the cessation of breastfeeding gradually and weaning onto plant-based feeds increased the microbial diversity and richness, with a higher Shannon, Ace, Chao and Sobs index in DurW and PostW than in PreW (p < 0.05). The predominant bacterial phyla in donkey foal feces were Firmicutes (>50.5%) and Bacteroidota (>29.5%), and the predominant anaerobic fungi and archaea were Neocallimastigomycota and Euryarchaeota. The cellulolytic related bacteria including phylum Firmicutes, Spirochaetota and Fibrobacterota and genus norank_f_F082, Treponema, NK4A214_group, Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group and Streptococcus were increased from pre-to post-weaning donkey foals (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the functions related to the fatty acid biosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis were significantly enriched in the fecal microbiome in the DurW and PostW donkeys. Furthermore, the present study provided the first direct evidence that the initial colonization and establishment of anaerobic fungi and archaea in donkey foals began prior to weaning. The relative abundance of Orpinomyces were the highest in DurW donkey foals among the three groups (p < 0.01). In terms of archaea, the abundance of Methanobrevibacter were higher in PreW than in DurW and PostW (p < 0.01), but the abundance of Methanocorpusculum were significantly increased in DurW and PostW compared to PreW donkey foals (p < 0.01).DiscussionAltogether, the current study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the development of the microbiota community in donkey foals from pre-to post-weaning period, which may eventually result in an improvement of the digestion and feed efficiency in donkeys.

Dataset Information

Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.

Publications

Utilizing the fecal microbiota to understand foal gut transitions from birth to weaning.

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