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  Discussion on Research Summary: Probiotics in newborn foals
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DrO

Posted on Saturday, Nov 21, 2015 - 5:32 pm:

This study with a live culture product containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium did not find a beneficial effect.
DrO

Equine Vet J. 2015 Oct 28.
The longitudinal effect of a multi-strain probiotic on the intestinal bacterial microbiota of neonatal foals.
Schoster A1,2, Guardabassi L2, Staempfli HR3, Abrahams M3 , Jalali M4, Weese JS4.

Author information:
1University of Zurich, Vetsuisse Faculty, Equine Department, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
2University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Stigbøjlen 4, 1870, Copenhagen, Denmark.
3University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, Department of Clinical Studies, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
4University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College, Department of Pathobiology, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.

Abstract
REASONS FOR PERFORMING THE STUDY:

The microbiota plays a key role in health and disease. Probiotics are a potential way to therapeutically modify the intestinal microbiota and prevent disease.
OBJECTIVES:

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of probiotics on the bacterial microbiota of foals during and after administration.
STUDY DESIGN:

Randomised placebo controlled field trial.
METHODS:

Thirty-eight healthy neonatal foals enrolled in a prior study were selected. The foals had received a multi-strain probiotic (four Lactobacillus spp 3-4x103 cfu/g each, Bifidobacterium animalis spp. lactis, 1x 103-4 cfu/g) or placebo once daily for 3 weeks. A total of 3 faecal samples were collected from each foal at 2-week intervals and assessed via metagenomic sequencing. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare data between treatment groups.
RESULTS:

There were no changes on the phylum, order or class level between treatment groups at any age (all p>0.08) but some significant changes in relative abundance of families. Probiotic administration did not result in an increased relative abundance of lactobacilli or bifidobacteria at any age (Lactobacillus: p = 0.95, p = 0.1 and p = 0.2, Bifidobacterium: p = 0.26, p = 0.62 and p = 0.12 for week 2, week 4 and week 6 respectively). Lactobacillus was enriched in the probiotic group at week 6 on LEfSe analysis (LDA0.34, p = 0.016). There was no effect on alpha diversity (all p>0.24) or community structure when parsimony and unifrac analysis were applied (all p>0.65).
CONCLUSIONS:

There were limited effects of probiotic treatment on the bacterial microbiota of foals. The studied probiotic based on lactobacilli and bifidobacteria has a limited potential for therapeutic modification of the gastrointestinal microbiota.
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