title: Oral administration of fermented probiotics improves the condition of feces in adult horses.
abstract: The effects of probiotics on horses are still controversial. The present study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study designed to evaluate the ability of probiotics to improve intestinal conditions in adult horses. Fermented probiotics were administered to 10 healthy adult geldings for 28 days. The clinical condition of the horses was monitored daily, and the blood and feces were biochemically analyzed every 14 days. In the probiotic-treated group, the concentration of carboxylic acids in the feces was increased at days 14 and 28. In contrast to the fecal pH in the control group, which increased at days 14 and 28, the fecal pH in the probiotic-treated group did not increase. Additionally, the relative amounts of enteropathogenic bacterial DNA were diminished in the probiotic-treated group. These results suggest that probiotic bacteria proliferated in the equine intestine. No instances of abnormal clinical conditions or abnormal values in blood tests were observed throughout the study. Oral administration of fermented probiotics may have the ability to improve the intestinal environment biochemically and microbiologically without the risk of adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and System Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Saori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishizaka
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Molecular Pathology and Therapeutics, Division of Animal Life Science, Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and System Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Amagai
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and System Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oida
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and System Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Hyosun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Miura Co., Ltd., Ehime 799-2696, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.affiliation: Miura Co., Ltd., Ehime 799-2696, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and System Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan ; Laboratory of Comparative Animal Medicine, Division of Animal Life Science, Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Akane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Major in Advanced Health Science, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and System Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan ; Laboratory of Veterinary Molecular Pathology and Therapeutics, Division of Animal Life Science, Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo 183-8509, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuda
keywords: fecal carboxylic acids; geldings; microbial DNA; probiotics