Fermentative Activities of Some Members of the Normal Coccal Flora of the Horse's Large Intestine

doi:10.1016/S0368-1742(52)80026-8

Journal of Comparative Pathology and Therapeutics

Volume 62, 1952, Pages 252-259

Journal of Comparati...

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0368-1742(52)80026-8 Get rights and content

Summary

Streptococci capable of fermenting lactose and starch have been isolated from the large colon contents of fistulated ponies.

They form a capsule which is easily demonstrated by the capsular swelling reaction described by Neufeld.

They can be differentiated serologically from other types of streptococci.

The colon also, contains the Gram-negative coccus Veillonella gazogenes, an anxroblc fermenter of lactate.

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In equine, the amylolytic bacteria identified so far in the hindgut belong to the Streptococcaceae and the Lactobacillaceae families (Kern et al., 1973; Maczulak et al., 1985; Al Jassim et al., 2005), but these two families contain only gram-positive bacteria species. Among the lactate-utilizing bacteria, species identified in equine hindgut belong to the gram-negative Veillonellaceae family (Alexander et al., 1952; Alexander and Davies, 1963). These latter have probably contributed to increase of LPS concentration.
Feeding horses with high-starch diet can lead to alteration of their hindgut and fecal bacteria composition, with a potential shift in gram negative and positive bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria contain LPS in their outer membrane, which can translocate into bloodstream following hindgut microbial disturbances. The aim of our study was to evaluate if diet composition (high-fiber or high-starch diets) can modulate the LPS concentration in equine feces and plasma using an innovative measurement method. Six horses were used in a longitudinal study composed of three consecutive periods. During the first period (H1; 3 weeks), they were fed 100% hay. After a gradual transition, they received during the second period (HB; 4 weeks) a diet composed of 57% hay and 43% barley. During the third period (H2; 6 weeks), they returned to the 100% hay diet without transition. Colonic, fecal and blood samples were collected on days 10 and 20 in H1 and HB periods and on days 10, 20 and 40 in H2 period. Total anaerobic, amylolytic and lactate-utilizing bacteria were enumerated in colon and feces using culture technics. Fecal and plasma LPS concentration was determined by direct quantitation of 3HM by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), using a method described recently in human for plasma samples (Pais de Barros et al., 2015), and by adapting this method for fecal samples. The fecal LPS concentrations increased significantly when horses changed from hay diet to hay/barley diet and significantly decreased when horses returned to the hay diet (values comparable to those found during the first hay diet). Similar variations were observed on the bacteria concentrations in colon and feces of horses. The LPS concentration did not vary in plasma samples when the hay/barley diet was fed. It was assumed that dietary stress was not important enough to disrupted the hindgut mucosa and allow LPS translocation into plasma. These data showed that fecal LPS concentrations are very sensitive to diet changes, and could reflect alteration in the hindgut bacteria composition occurring under the dietary change. The measure of LPS through the 3HM raised the question of the accurate representation of LPS. In conclusion, quantification of 3HM could be a simple method to follow the evolution of bacterial composition in the feces, and rapidly state on the balance or imbalance of the bacteria. Further researches have to be conducted to use this parameter as an indicator of bacterial disturbances.
The Impact of Diet on the Hindgut Microbiome
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The major end product measured after the fermentation of cellobiose by the four cecal strains of Ruminococcus sp. isolated by Julliand et al [17] was acetate, whereas little to no lactate was found. On the contrary, amylolytic bacteria are also called lactic acid producing bacteria as they produce lactate as main end product from starch or WSCs fermentation [15,18,19]. Streptococcus bovis and S. equinus are only L-lactate producers, whereas other strains were reported to produce both isomers of lactate [16].
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The gut microbiome of horses: current research on equine enteral microbiota and future perspectives
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Horse species symposium: The microbiome of the horse hindgut: History and current knowledge
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Fermentative Activities of Some Members of the Normal Coccal Flora of the Horse's Large Intestine

Summary

J. comp. Path.

Lancet, ii, 708

Parasitol

Arch. wiss, prakt. Tierhielk

Brit. J. exp. Path.

J. Assoc. official agric. Chem.

Bact. Rev.