Effect of Intense Exercise on the Level of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes Phyla in the Digestive System of Thoroughbred Racehorses.
Authors: Górniak Wanda, Cholewińska Paulina, Szeligowska Natalia, Wołoszyńska Magdalena, Soroko Maria, Czyż Katarzyna
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Intense exercise triggers measurable shifts in equine hindgut microbial populations, with both Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla increasing significantly within 48 hours of physical effort in Thoroughbred racehorses, according to this 2021 investigation by Górniak and colleagues. The research team collected faecal samples from 17 three-year-old racehorses maintained on identical forage before and after exercise, then quantified bacterial abundance using RT-PCR analysis to track changes in these dominant phyla alongside Lactobacillaceae, a facultative aerobic family. Whilst Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes populations rose substantially post-exercise—indicating a physiological response to increased metabolic demands—Lactobacillaceae levels remained relatively stable, suggesting that aerobic bacteria do not contribute meaningfully to this exercise-induced dysbiosis. Perhaps most clinically relevant is the finding of marked individual variation in how horses' microbiomes respond to exertion, implying that standardised post-exercise management protocols may not suit all animals equally. For practitioners managing racehorses' nutritional recovery and gut health, these results underscore the importance of monitoring individual responses to training loads and tailoring probiotic or prebiotic interventions accordingly, rather than applying one-size-fits-all approaches to microbiome support.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Intense exercise produces measurable changes in the gut microbiota of racehorses within 48 hours, which may have implications for post-exercise digestive health and recovery protocols
- •The individual variation in microbial response suggests that generic feeding and management recommendations may need tailoring to account for horse-specific microbiome responses to training
- •Monitoring or managing digestive microbiota through nutrition or probiotics may be worth considering as part of exercise recovery strategies, though further research is needed on clinical implications
Key Findings
- •Significant increase in both Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla levels 48 hours after intense exercise compared to baseline
- •No significant changes in Lactobacillaceae family (facultative aerobes) following exercise, though a decreasing trend was observed
- •Individual variation in bacterial response to physical effort was evident among horses