Publikationsdatenbank

Impact of dietary zinc chloride hydroxide and zinc methionine on the faecal microbiota of healthy adult horses and ponies (2022)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Paßlack, Nadine (WE 4)

van Bömmel-Wegmann, Sarah (WE 4)

Vahjen, Wilfried (WE 4)

Zentek, Jürgen (WE 4)

Quelle

Journal of equine veterinary science

Bandzählung: 110

Seiten: Artikel 103804

ISSN: 0737-0806

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080621004342

DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103804

Pubmed: 34999337

Kontakt

Institut für Tierernährung

Königin-Luise-Str. 49
14195 Berlin
+49 30 838 52256
tierernaehrung@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Zinc supplements are often used in equine nutrition to support skin and hoof quality or the immune function. However, no data on the effects of dietary zinc on the intestinal microbiota of horses and ponies are available so far. In the present study, varying dietary zinc concentrations (maintenance (4 mg/kg BW0.75/day), 120 mg/kg dry matter (DM)/day and 240 mg/kg DM/day) were achieved by the supplementation of either zinc chloride hydroxide or zinc methionine (six treatment periods of 4 weeks each). Eight healthy adult ponies and two healthy adult horses were included, and faecal samples were collected at the end of each treatment period to analyse the microbiota (16S rDNA sequencing) and microbial metabolites. With increasing dietary zinc concentrations, the richness of the faecal microbiota decreased, independently of the zinc compound used. In addition, a decrease of the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Fibrobacteres as well as of acetate and total short-chain fatty acids in the faeces of the animals was observed at high zinc intakes. Effects on the bacterial order, family and genus level were also detected, which were partly more pronounced for zinc chloride hydroxide. It can be concluded that high dietary zinc levels decrease the richness and fermentative activity of the faecal microbiota of horses and ponies. Although all animals were healthy throughout the study, the effects could be critical for gut health, and deserve more research. The detected differences between the zinc compounds used indicate differences in the bioavailability of organic and inorganic zinc sources in equines.