Differences in the equine faecal microbiota between horses presenting to a tertiary referral hospital for colic compared with an elective surgical procedure

Abstract

Summary Background The faecal microbiota is emerging as potentially important in intestinal disease. More research is needed to characterise the faecal microbiota from horses with colic. Objectives To compare the relative abundance of bacterial populations comprising the faecal microbiota in horses presenting for colic compared with an elective surgical procedure. Study design Prospective observational clinical study. Methods Admission faecal samples were collected from horses presenting for colic and elective surgical procedures. Faecal samples were extracted for genomic DNA , PCR ‐ amplified, sequenced and analysed using QIIME . Species richness and Shannon diversity were estimated for each faecal sample. The extent of the relationship between bacterial communities (beta diversity) was quantified using pairwise UniFrac distances, visualised using principal coordinate analysis ( PC oA) and statistically analysed using PERMANOVA . The relative abundance of bacterial populations between the two treatment groups were compared using ANCOM . Results Faecal bacterial communities in horses presenting for colic had fewer species (P<0.001) and lower diversity (P<0.001) compared with horses presenting for elective surgical procedures. Based on the PERMANOVA analysis, there was a significant difference in the bacterial community composition between horses admitted for colic vs. elective procedures (P = 0.001). Based on ANCOM test, at the genus level, 14 bacterial lineages differed between the two groups. The relative abundance of known commensal bacteria including Prevotella , Clostridia , Lachnospiraceae were reduced whereas Christenellaceae , Streptococcus and Sphaerochaeta were increased in horses with colic when compared with elective cases. Main limitations Relative low numbers and a diverse population of horses. Conclusions Changes in bacterial populations in the faecal microbiota of horses presenting for colic observed in this study concurs with previous studies in veterinary and human patients with gastrointestinal disease. Future studies focusing on different causes of colic, chronic or recurrent disease, and the association with histological changes within the intestine are needed. The Summary is available in Portuguese ‐ see Supporting Information