IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MICROBES
EQUINE GUT MICROBES
The equine gut is home to a vast array of microbes.
Some of these are intimately involved in keeping your horse healthy,
while others may be detrimental to the health and performance of your horse.
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Get a taste of the science behind your horse's gut health
Browse through the microbes below to get a taste of the science behind your horse's gut health.
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Receive access to our online equine microbiome A-Z Library
Receive access when you order your equiGI microbiome test. Updated regularly by our scientists with the latest scientific research on equine gut health.
Antinobacteria
EQUINE GUT MICROBES
Actinobacteria can grow with or without the presence of oxygen and are commonly found in soil and in many animal microbiomes.
In nature, they help breakdown plant material and chitin. This is a material found in the cell walls of insects and fungi.
Actinobacteria appear to be helpful in maintaining equine gut health.
1. One study has found normal horses had a significantly greater relative abundance of Actinobacteria than diarrheic horses.
2. Another study has found that healthy horses had significantly higher relative abundance of Actinobacteria than horses with colitis.
Butyrivibrio
EQUINE GUT MICROBES
Named for their ability to produce butyric acid.
Butyrivibrio is often found in ruminants, where it is associated with fibre breakdown, especially hemicellulose, one of a number of complex plant fibres.
In humans Butyrivibrio is often associated with a healthy gut.
The jury is still out on this one.
On the positive side, the production of butyric acid in the gut helps to provide energy to the horse.
However,
1. Early research has identified Butyrivibrio as more common in obese horses.
2. A higher frequency of aggressiveness has been associated with overgrowth of Butyrivibrio in a large study looking at horse athletes.
Ruminococcus
EQUINE GUT MICROBES
Ruminococcus grows in the absence of oxygen and are associated with the breakdown of plant material in the equine hindgut.
Ruminococcus is typically present in great abundance in the equine hindgut, representing up to 15% of the bacterial sequences found in individual horse hindgut samples.
A decreased abundance of Ruminococcus has been found in horses fed a concentrate diet compared with a grass diet.
Like to know more about your horse's unique gut microbes?
Receive access to our online
equine microbiome A-Z Library
when you order your
equiGI microbiome test
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