Stability of Gastric Fluid and Fecal Microbial Populations in Healthy Horses under Pasture and Stable Conditions.

ABSTRACT: Equine gastrointestinal microbial communities vary across the gastrointestinal tract and in response to diet or disease. Understanding the composition and stability of gastric fluid microbiota in healthy horses is a prerequisite to understanding changes associated with the development of disease. The objective of this study was to describe microbial communities in the gastric fluid and feces of healthy horses longitudinally. Horses were maintained on pasture (6 weeks), stabled (5 weeks), then returned to pasture. A consistent forage diet was provided throughout. Native gastric fluid and feces were collected weekly for full-length 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing and microbial profiling analysis. Fewer taxa were identified in the gastric fluid (770) than in the feces (5284). Species richness an

SUBMITTER: Bishop RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11503871 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature