In vitro and in vivo evaluation of equine probiotics

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The equine nutraceuticals industry in Canada is the largest and most rapidly growing division of the domestic veterinary supplements sector. The Goal of the current study is to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo impact of a Canadian dietary probiotic ('ProbioPLUS'; Selected Bioproducts Inc; Guelph ON) (PBP) on the equine hind-gut microflora during an antibiotic challenge. The objectives of the current study are: 1) Create an in vitro model of the equine cecum using an anaerobic culture chamber; 2) use the model created in Objective 1 to determine effects of a common equine antibiotic (Sulfadiazine/Trimethoprim; STP) on pH and bacterial metabolite (acetate, propionate and butyrate) production in the presence and absence of a simulated digest of PBP; and 3) evaluate effect of oral antibiotics on fecal microbial profile of horses receiving a diet containing PBP (0 or 66g/day) for 10 days. Objectives 1 and 2 will develop an in vitro simulation of the equine cecal microbial environment, and this model will be used to evaluate the impact of PPB on microbial disruption by antibiotics. Post-mortem cecal fluid from horses will be maintained in a continuous flow anaerobic chamber, and pH, total volatile fatty acids, acetate, propionate, butyrate, lactate and RNA sequencing of microbial populations will be measured. Once established, we will then introduce a common equine antibiotic (Sulfadiazine/Trimethoprim; STP) in the presence or absence of PBP, and determine its effect on the outcome measures described above. Objective 3 will evaluate the effect of oral STP on fecal quality and microbial profile in horses receiving PBP (0 or 66g/day) for 10 days prior to, during, and days following 10 days of STP administration. Antibiotic use in horses is often associated with potentially life-threatening colitis in horses, likely due to a disruption of the gastrointestinal microbiome. This study will provide important new information on the effect of dietary probiotics on the hind-gut microbiota in antibiotic-treated horses, and will determine the value of co-administration of antibiotics and probiotics in horses as well as other veterinary species and humans.