A Healthy Start: Early-life Gut Bacterial Colonisation and Immunological Priming in the Foal
Start date
January 2025End date
January 2027Overview
Bacterial colonisation of the foal’s hindgut has a profound influence on future health. The bacterial species involved in early-life immune modulation and the role of different inflammatory mediators are unknown. Using stored samples from a foal cohort study, we will measure inflammatory mediators in the faeces of foals and correlate them with bacterial community structure and with long-term health. We will identify foal gut bacteria that are associated with an anti-inflammatory environment and with enhanced health. These outcomes will also demonstrate the potential of faecal immunological markers for nutritional research and clinical use.
Hypothesis
Hypothesis 1: The concentration of immunoregulatory cytokines in the faeces of foals is associated with faecal bacterial diversity and abundance.
Hypothesis 2: The concentration of immunoregulatory cytokines in the faeces of foals is associated with later-life health outcomes.
Aims and objectives
Objective 1: Measure the abundance of specific faecal inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, MCP-1, TNFα, VEGF, IFNγ and calprotectin) in samples from the Well Foal Study cohort.
Objective 2: Identify associations between faecal biomarkers and gut microbial diversity at 2d, 8d, 14d, 28d, 60d of age.
Objective 3: Identify associations between faecal biomarkers and the abundance of specific gut bacterial taxa at 2d, 8d, 14d, 28d, 60d of age.
Objective 4: Identify associations between faecal biomarkers at 2d, 8d, 14d, 28d, 60d of age and later-life health outcomes in the Well Foal Study cohort.
Funding amount
£164 K
Funder
Team
Principal Investigator
Professor Christopher Proudman
Professor of Veterinary Clinical Science
Biography
Chris Proudman graduated from Cambridge University Vet School in 1988 and was awarded a PhD in Equine Epidemiology from University of Liverpool in 1996. His academic career has embraced teaching equine medicine and surgery, equine intestinal disease research and various leadership roles at the University of Liverpool.
He has a long-standing involvement with the horseracing industry, including veterinary work on racecourses in Northwest England and membership of the Horserace Betting Levy Board's veterinary advisory committee.
Appointed as Head of the University of Surrey's new Vet School in 2013, he leads the development and delivery of a 21st century curriculum focussed on graduate confidence and competence, and on innovation in animal health. His current research work focusses on the role of the horse's gut bacteria in intestinal health and disease.
Co-investigator
Dr Carla Moller-Levet
Interim Head of the Bioinformatics Core Facility
Biography
After earning her PhD in Bioinformatics from the University of Manchester, Dr. Carla S. Möller-Levet held several research positions in the UK, focusing on transcriptomics, circadian biology, and statistical modeling. She has worked at the Bioinformatics Core Facility at the University of Surrey for over a decade, where she has developed and supports infrastructure for diverse data analyses. Her collaborative research spans chronobiology, infectious diseases, cancer, and host–microbiome interactions. Within the Horse Microbiome Research Group, she guides and supports early-career researchers in computational data analysis, including statistical testing and data visualization to aid interpretation.
Research Team
Research themes
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