Microbiome analysis reveals the positive effects of exercise on the gut microbiota in horse

Gut microbiota is vital to host health, involving many aspects including immunity, metabolism and digestion. Exercise is recognized as a significant factor influencing the gut microbiota. However, the effects of exercise on the gut microbiota in horses remain unclear. Here, this study aims to investigate the effects of exercise on the gut bacterial and fungal communities in the horses using 16S rDNA and ITS genes amplicon sequencing. Results indicated that exercise significantly increased the ACE, Chao1 and Shannon indices of the gut bacterial community, accompanied by significant alterations in the primary components of the gut bacterial community. Conversely, exercise did not affect the diversity and abundance of the gut fungal community. Although exercise did not change the dominant bacterial phyla and genera, it resulted in significant changes in the abundance of some bacteria and fungi. Bacterial taxonomic analysis revealed that exercise significantly increased the relative abundance of 8 phyla and 187 genera, while the relative abundance of three phyla and 197 genera decreased markedly. Moreover, exercise also resulted in a significant increase in the relative abundance of five phyla and 105 genera, whereas the relative abundance of two phyla and 82 genera decreased significantly in the gut fungal community. In summary, this study indicated that exercise can affect the composition and structure of gut microbiota. Moreover, this study also conveys an important message that exercise may exert health benefits to the host by affecting the gut microbiota. Future research could investigate the effects of various types and intensities of exercise on gut microbiota to optimize health management strategies.