Effect of Road Transport on the Equine Cecal Microbiota.
Authors: Perry Erin, Cross Tzu-Wen L, Francis Jesse M, Holscher Hannah D, Clark Stephanie D, Swanson Kelly S
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Effect of Road Transport on the Equine Cecal Microbiota Understanding how transport stress alters the equine hindgut microbiota has significant implications for managing horses during competition and relocation, yet research in this area remains limited. Perry and colleagues used six cecally-cannulated horses (three transported to an unfamiliar location and stalled to simulate show conditions, three remaining as controls) with intensive sampling via rotating 6-hourly cecal fluid collections over six days, followed by 16S rRNA sequencing to characterise bacterial composition across baseline, transportation, and post-travel phases. Whilst overall bacterial community structure (β-diversity) remained stable between groups, α-diversity—a measure of bacterial species richness—decreased significantly in transported horses during the journey itself compared to baseline, and unexpectedly also declined in control horses during the return phase, suggesting that even the disruption caused by the travelled group's homecoming affected the resident population. Several bacterial taxa at both genus and phylum levels showed meaningful shifts in response to travel, indicating that transport triggers specific microbial changes beyond simple diversity loss. These findings highlight that road transport induces measurable dysbiosis in the equine cecum, which warrants further investigation into the duration of microbial recovery, the clinical consequences of these changes, and targeted nutritional or management strategies to mitigate transport-related gastrointestinal disturbance in travelling horses.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Transport to unfamiliar locations and stalling (as in show conditions) causes measurable changes to the cecal microbiota within 6 days; consider probiotic or prebiotic supplementation around transport events to support microbial stability
- •The microbiota disruption affects not just transported horses but also herd-mates remaining at home, suggesting herd-wide management adjustments may be warranted during and after transport
- •Monitor horses for signs of digestive upset after transport, as microbiota shifts may predispose to colic or other GI disturbances even without obvious clinical signs
Key Findings
- •Travel during transportation phase reduced α-diversity in the cecal microbiota of transported horses compared to baseline (P < .05)
- •Control horses also showed reduced α-diversity in the return phase, suggesting disruption from the travel group's reintegration affected the herd microbiota
- •No significant effects of travel on β-diversity were observed (P > .05)
- •Multiple bacterial taxa at genus and phylum levels were affected by travel stress