Equine acute intestinal disease (colic): a metagenomics approach to causation

Acute intestinal disease is the single biggest cause of equine mortality and a major cause of morbidity and economic loss to horse industries. Epidemiological studies have identified diet and dietary change as important risk factors for many types of acute intestinal disease but the mechanism of this effect is poorly understood. This project will build on previous work that has identified shifts in colonic microbiota in response to dietary change. Specifically, it will involve conducting a microbiome-wide association study (M-WAS) to explore associations between gut microbial populations and equine intestinal disease (colic). DNA amplicon libraries will be prepared from faecal DNA and submitted for 454 sequencing. The data will provide a count of operational taxanomic units present in the sample, giving high resolution taxonomic and abundance data for all samples. Multivariate statistics will be used to explore relationships between microbial population profiles and disease status. The university’s equine hospital will provide samples from relevant horse populations; the Centre for Genomics Research will conduct 454 sequencing and provide bioinformatics and statistics support.

Training:
The student will receive in-house training in next-generation sequencing technology, bioinformatics and multivariable statistics, in addition to graduate school generic skills courses. This project represents a unique opportunity to develop research skills at the interface of equine veterinary science and next-generation sequencing technology.