Effect of age and the individual on the gastrointestinal bacteriome of ponies fed a high-starch diet.

Bacteria residing in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals are crucial for the digestion of dietary nutrients. Bacterial community composition is modified by age and diet in other species. Although horses are adapted to consuming fibre-based diets, high-energy, often high-starch containing feeds are increasingly used.

The equine gastrointestinal microbiome: impacts of weight-loss.

Background: Obesity is an important equine welfare issue. Whilst dietary restriction is the most effective weight-loss tool, individual animals range in their weight-loss propensity. Gastrointestinal-derived bacteria play a fundamental role in host-health and have been associated with obesity and weight-loss in other species.

The Equine Gastrointestinal Microbiome: Impacts of Age and Obesity.

Gastrointestinal microbial communities are increasingly being implicated in host susceptibilities to nutritional/metabolic diseases; such conditions are more prevalent in obese and/or older horses. This controlled study evaluated associations between host-phenotype and the fecal microbiome / metabolome. Thirty-five, Welsh Mountain pony mares were studied across 2 years (Controls, = 6/year, 5-15 years, Body Condition Score (BCS) 4.

The effect of administration of fenbendazole on the microbial hindgut population of the horse.

Anthelmintics are used as anti-worming agents. Although known to affect their target organisms, nothing has been published regarding their effect on other digestive tract organisms or on metabolites produced by them. The current work investigated effects of fenbendazole, a benzimidazole anthelmintic, on bacteria and ciliates in the equine digestive tract and on and their major metabolites.

Comparison of the microbial population in rabbits and guinea pigs by next generation sequencing.

This study aimed to determine the microbial composition of faeces from two groups of caecotrophagic animals; rabbits and guinea pigs. In addition the study aimed to determine the community present in the different organs in the rabbit. DNA was extracted from seven of the organs in wild rabbits (n = 5) and from faecal samples from domesticated rabbits (n = 6) and guinea pigs (n = 6).

Strong stability and host specific bacterial community in faeces of ponies.

The horse, as a hindgut fermenter, is reliant on its intestinal bacterial population for efficient diet utilisation. However, sudden disturbance of this population can result in severe colic or laminitis, both of which may require euthanasia. This study therefore aimed to determine the temporal stability of the bacterial population of faecal samples from six ponies maintained on a formulated high fibre diet.

Identification and characterization of three novel lipases belonging to families II and V from Anaerovibrio lipolyticus 5ST.

Following the isolation, cultivation and characterization of the rumen bacterium Anaerovibrio lipolyticus in the 1960s, it has been recognized as one of the major species involved in lipid hydrolysis in ruminant animals. However, there has been limited characterization of the lipases from the bacterium, despite the importance of understanding lipolysis and its impact on subsequent biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by rumen microbes. This study describes the draft genome of Anaerovibrio lipolytica 5ST, and the characterization of three lipolytic genes and their translated protein.

A comparison of the microbiome and the metabolome of different regions of the equine hindgut.

The microbiome and associated metabolome of faecal samples were compared to those from the caecum and right dorsal colon of horses and ponies euthanised for nonresearch purposes by investigating the microbial population community structure as well as their functional metabolic products. Through the use of 16S rRNA gene dendrograms, the caecum microbiome was shown to cluster separately from the other gut regions. 16S rRNA gene-based quantitative PCR (q-PCR) also demonstrated differences between the caecum and the other gut regions.

Isolation of Streptococcus thoraltensis from rabbit faeces.

Bacteria were isolated from rabbit faeces using equine caecal fluid as a growth medium. Two new isolates of the genus Streptococcus are described in terms of their biochemical properties. One of these has a 16S rRNA gene with 97.

Changes in the bacterial population of the caecum and stomach of the rabbit in response to addition of dietary caprylic acid.

The effect of caprylic acid, either in its pure form, or as Akomed R, on the microbial community of the stomach and caecum of farmed rabbits was investigated. This fatty acid, which is often added to the diet of farmed rabbits to reduce mortality rates was shown to reduce the number of coliforms isolated from both the stomach and the caecum. Moreover, it led to a reduction in the total number of anaerobic bacteria isolated from the caecum, but not for those isolated from the stomach.

Copper deficiency in potato dextrose agar causes reduced pigmentation in cultures of various fungi.

Potato dextrose agar (PDA) is one of the most commonly used media for the isolation and cultivation of fungi, with morphological features and pigmentation in culture often being important for identification of cultures. Cultivation of various fungi on different brands and batches of powdered (commercial) potato dextrose media revealed deficient pigmentation in five of 10 media tested. Reduced pigmentation on these media was correlated with low levels of copper and colony colour was restored by the addition of copper.