Exploring the Gut Microbiome and Metabolome in Connemara Ponies with Equine Metabolic Syndrome
Understanding the connection between gut health and metabolic derangements including diabetes is well established in human medicine—but similar research in equine medicine remains limited. Our case-control study set out to bridge that gap by examining differences in gut microbiota and blood metabolite profiles between healthy Connemara ponies and those affected by Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS).
We studied 30 privately owned Connemara ponies, split into two groups: 15 diagnosed with EMS and 15 healthy controls. EMS was confirmed using an Oral Sugar Test (OST), with blood samples taken both before and after the sugar challenge. In addition, a single faecal sample was collected from each pony to assess their gut microbiota.
Key Findings:
Our study revealed notable differences in both gut microbiota composition and serum metabolite profiles between ponies with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and healthy controls.
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Gut Microbiota:
The overall faecal microbiota composition differed significantly between EMS and control groups (p = 0.04; r² = 4.3%). While EMS ponies exhibited lower species richness and evenness—suggesting reduced microbial diversity—these differences did not reach significant difference. -
Serum Metabolome:
The EMS ponies showed an enrichment of serum metabolites belonging to triglycerides (TGs), along with a reduction of other metabolite classes -
Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis:
Integrative multi-omics analysis revealed two modules in the metabolome and microbiota datasets that were significantly different between the EMS and control groups (p < 0.05).
