Simple Summary Research on equine gut microbiota has grown and gained significant interest in the last decade. Abnormal alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota are called dysbiosis and have been linked to various gastrointestinal tract diseases and remote organs in human medicine, such as the brain and the lung. Strategies to restore the gut microbiota to prevent and treat such diseases are currently being investigated. This review focuses on the current knowledge regarding gut microbiota dysbiosis and microbiota manipulation techniques in horses. Abstract Understanding the importance of intestinal microbiota in horses and the factors influencing its composition have been the focus of many studies over the past few years. Factors such as age, diet, antibiotic administration, and geographic location can affect the gut microbiota. The intra- and inter-individual variability of fecal microbiota in horses complicates its interpretation and has hindered the establishment of a clear definition for dysbiosis. Although a definitive causal relationship between gut dysbiosis in horses and diseases has not been clearly identified, recent research suggests that dysbiosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of various conditions, such as colitis and asthma. Prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation to modulate the horse’s gastrointestinal tract may eventually be considered a valuable tool for preventing or treating diseases, such as antibiotic-induced colitis. This article aims to summarize the current knowledge on the importance of intestinal microbiota in horses and factors influencing its composition, and also to review the published literature on methods for detecting dysbiosis while discussing the efficacy of gut microbiota manipulation in horses.
【저자키워드】 Probiotics, Microbiome, horse, prebiotics, fecal microbiota transplant,