Characterization and comparison of the bacterial microbiota in different gastrointestinal tract compartments of Mongolian horses

The microbial communities of the different parts of the Mongolian horse gastrointestinal tracts were significantly different, and there was greater diversity between the lower gut and upper gut. Direct sampling of the different segments of gastrointestinal tracts provided a more complete diagram of the gut microbiota than fecal analysis. The vegetarian diets and adaptability of Mongolian horses were likely related not only to their stable and complicated gastrointestinal microbiota but also to their special herbivorous digestive physiology. AbstractThe intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the health and metabolism of the host. Next ‐generation sequencing technology has enabled the characterization of the gut microbiota of several animal species. We analyzed the intestinal microbiota in six different parts of the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of five Mongolian horses by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene V3‐V4 hypervariable regi on. All horses were kept in the natural habitat of the Inner Mongolia grassland. Significant differences were observed among the microbiota compositions of the distinct GIT regions. In addition, while the microbial community structures of the small and large intestine were significantly different, t hose of the cecum and colon were similar. In the foregut, Firmicutes (65%) and Proteobacteria (23%) were the most abundant, while Firmicutes (45%) and Bacteroidetes (42%) were the most common in the hindgut. At the level of family, Ruminococcacea...
Source: MicrobiologyOpen - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research