The Effects of Weaning Methods on Gut Microbiota Composition and Horse Physiology.
Front. Physiol.. 2017-07-25; 8:
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00535
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1. Front Physiol. 2017 Jul 25;8:535. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00535. eCollection
2017.
The Effects of Weaning Methods on Gut Microbiota Composition and Horse
Physiology.
Mach N(1), Foury A(2), Kittelmann S(3), Reigner F(4), Moroldo M(1), Ballester
M(5), Esquerré D(6), Rivière J(1), Sallé G(4), Gérard P(7), Moisan MP(2), Lansade
L(8).
Author information:
(1)UMR 1313, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, AgroParisTech,
Université Paris-SaclayJouy-en-Josas, France.
(2)UMR 1286, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université Bordeaux,
Nutrition et Neurobiologie IntégréeBordeaux, France.
(3)AgResearch Ltd, Grasslands Research CentrePalmerston North, New Zealand.
(4)UMR 1282, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Infectiologie et
Santé PubliqueNouzilly, France.
(5)Departament de Genètica i Millora Animal, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia
Agroalimentàries, Torre MarimonCaldes de Montbui, Spain.
(6)UMR 444, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Plateforme
GETCastanet-Tolosan, France.
(7)UMR 1319, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, AgroParisTech,
Université Paris-SaclayJouy-en-Josas, France.
(8)PRC, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique, IFCE, Université de ToursNouzilly, France.
Weaning has been described as one of the most stressful events in the life of
horses. Given the importance of the interaction between the gut-brain axis and
gut microbiota under stress, we evaluated (i) the effect of two different weaning
methods on the composition of gut microbiota across time and (ii) how the shifts
of gut microbiota composition after weaning affect the host. A total of 34 foals
were randomly subjected to a progressive (P) or an abrupt (A) weaning method. In
the P method, mares were separated from foals at progressively increasing
intervals every day, starting from five min during the fourth week prior to
weaning and ending with 6 h during the last week before weaning. In the A method,
mares and foals were never separated prior to weaning (0 d). Different host
phenotypes and gut microbiota composition were studied across 6 age strata (days
-30, 0, 3, 5, 7, and 30 after weaning) by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results
revealed that the beneficial species belonging to Prevotella, Paraprevotella, and
Ruminococcus were more abundant in the A group prior to weaning compared to the P
group, suggesting that the gut microbiota in the A cohort was better adapted to
weaning. Streptococcus, on the other hand, showed the opposite pattern after
weaning. Fungal loads, which are thought to increase the capacity for fermenting
the complex polysaccharides from diet, were higher in P relative to A. Beyond the
effects of weaning methods, maternal separation at weaning markedly shifted the
composition of the gut microbiota in all foals, which fell into three distinct
community types at 3 days post-weaning. Most genera in community type 2 (i.e.,
Eubacterium, Coprococcus, Clostridium XI, and Blautia spp.) were negatively
correlated with salivary cortisol levels, but positively correlated with telomere
length and N-butyrate production. Average daily gain was also greater in the
foals harboring a community type 2 microbiota. Therefore, community type 2 is
likely to confer better stress response adaptation following weaning. This study
identified potential microbial biomarkers that could predict the likelihood for
physiological adaptations to weaning in horses, although causality remains to be
addressed.
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00535
PMCID: PMC5524898
PMID: 28790932