A new way of diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease in horses has been developed by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, to replace invasive methods. This novel technique could provide a low-impact way to enhance the welfare and handling of these magnificent animals.
Changing the Game: Diagnosing IBD in Horses
In recent years IBDs have been acknowledged in both humans and animals, among them horses. It can cause severe welfare issues, including weight loss (and reduced performance) and pain-related behaviours. The long and invasive process of diagnosing IBD in species such as horses traditionally involved endoscopy and intestinal biopsies.
Luckily, it has now been resolved by the researchers of University of Jyväskylä. They used metagenomics of horse feces to develop a noninvasive, low-cost and accurate test for detection of IBD from analysis of the composition gut microbiota. The model demonstrated 100% accuracy detecting IBD among all the test samples, nudging forth a new-found solution for an equine-favorable and less- invasive way of healthcare with the help of this AI-based neural network model.
Potential Key to the Gut Health Highway
The authors argue that the results of this study pave the way for further research which links gut permeability with horse health and productivity. The first one being the changes in composition between horses with IBD, and those without it. For example, Faille et al. [] identified both increasing and decreasing bacterial groups in IBD horses, indicative of individual diagnostic signatures.
This discovery not only reflects what has already been done in humans, where dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been demonstrated as a biomarker for IBD severity and progression. Now, the researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have adapted what they know to horses in groundbreaking new method that may revolutionize how we diagnose and treat IBD in equidae.
It is important to mention that this diagnostic form of test is non-invasive and therefore a less stressful, homerun financial blow as opposed to the classical procedure endoscopy and biopsy. This is great news for the horses and their owners, who now have an access point to a more affordable and frequent monitoring system for their horse’s gut health.
Conclusion
The results of this ground-breaking research conducted at the University of Jyväskylä may alter the way veterinary sciences approach horse health in the future. The ability to utilise the gut microbiota as a non-invasive IBD diagnostic will be an invaluable solution that can address many issues relating to horse welfare and husbandry. By taking this creative approach we could revolutionize the ways animals are cared for today and implement a more proactive and individualistic health service which will improve both their quality of life and welfare as well the equine community overall.
