Fecal microbiome and functional prediction profiles of horses with and without crib-biting behavior: A comparative study.
Authors: Martínez-Aranzales José R, Córdoba-Agudelo Mateo, Pérez-Jaramillo Juan E
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Crib-biting and the Equine Microbiome: Exploring the Gut-Brain Connection Research increasingly suggests that aberrant oral behaviours in horses may reflect deeper physiological dysregulation, prompting investigation of the microbiome-gut-brain axis as a potential aetiological pathway—a mechanism already implicated in neuropsychiatric conditions in human medicine. This Colombian study compared faecal microbial composition and predicted metabolic function in six crib-biting horses against six matched controls using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, controlling for sex, age, bodyweight and body condition score across both groups. The crib-biting cohort demonstrated significantly altered bacterial taxonomy at the family level, characterised by reduced Bacteroidales abundance alongside elevated Bacillota and Clostridia populations; metagenomic prediction analysis further suggested substantive differences in the metabolic capacity of these microbial communities between the two phenotypes. These findings align with previous research and provide preliminary evidence that stereotypic oral behaviour may be associated with distinct microbial dysbiosis rather than representing a purely behavioural or management-related issue. Whilst this small-scale comparative study cannot yet establish causality, the results justify further investigation into whether targeted microbiota modulation—through feed composition, prebiotics or probiotics—might represent an adjunctive therapeutic avenue for managing crib-biting alongside conventional approaches; equine practitioners should remain alert to the possibility that such stereotypies reflect systemic rather than merely behavioural dysfunction.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Crib-biting in horses may involve dysbiosis (altered gut microbiota composition), opening new avenues for investigating behavioral stereotypies beyond purely psychological or environmental factors
- •Practitioners should consider that gut microbiota alterations may contribute to abnormal behaviors, potentially informing future management or therapeutic interventions targeting the microbiome
- •Current evidence is preliminary (small sample, single study); further validation needed before implementing microbiota-based interventions for crib-biting in clinical practice
Key Findings
- •Crib-biting horses showed significantly decreased Bacteroidales and increased Bacillota and Clostridia at the family level compared to control horses (p < 0.05)
- •Fecal microbiota composition differed significantly between crib-biting and healthy horses, with differential abundance patterns identified
- •Metagenome prediction analysis revealed metabolic profile changes in bacterial communities between crib-biting and control groups
- •Study provides preliminary evidence suggesting a potential microbiota-gut-brain axis involvement in equine crib-biting etiology