03/01/2023
A recent Russian study examined the ecogenomics of the bacteriophage diversity in the feaces of horses (Equus caballus), particularly the differences between stabled horses, and isolated feral horses. (ref at the bottom)
The diet of the first of the two groups of stabled horses was described as forages, supplemented with, oats, offal (!?), and carrots with free access to water, the second group of horses were stabled and fed by forages (carrots or apples spending 8–16 h (depending on the season) per day in the field.
The third group of horses was from the isolated island Vodny, in the salty lake Manych-Gudilo in Rostovskaya oblast, Russia, eating only saltmarsh grass/forbes etc.
What is a Virome?
A Virome refers to a group of viruses[ that are found or are associated with a holobiont. A holobiont ( holos, or ‘’all’’ and bios, ‘’life’’) is a natural living entity made up of a superior organism (i.e. multicellular) called the host, such as the horse, together with its microbiota, and the company of micro-organisms closely associated with it (bacteria, viruses, archaea, protists and microscopic fungi.)
A healthy virome can be defined as having a diverse and highly stable community and very individual to each host, this was identified by the Russian study.
Horse viromes were found to be richer than human viromes and lacked the over-representation of phage genotypes such as the CrAssphage-related viruses found in humans that eat a western diet.
Viromes play an important part in the health of an individual, the viruses interact with the immune cells, stimulate important immune responses, and influence different metabolic pathways.
The virome regulates gut homeostasis, contributing to disease development in distant organs, both directly and indirectly.
The one most identified by the Equibiome test is Enterobacteria phage PhiX174, more highly represented in wild horses (Carneddau) and Thoroughbred racehorses, and active against e-coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most common bacteriophage in this Russian study was identified as Caudovirales, studies in mice have suggested links from this bacteriophage to improved cognitive function and performance.
Looking forward to finding out more…..
Babenko, V. V., Millard, A., Kulikov, E. E., Spasskaya, N. N., Letarova, M. A., Konanov, D. N., ... & Letarov, A. V. (2020). The ecogenomics of dsDNA bacteriophages in f***s of stabled and feral horses. Computational and structural biotechnology journal, 18, 3457-3467.
