Page 659 - Veterinary Immunology, 10th Edition

The Cecum and Large Intestine
VetBooks.ir Hindgut fermenters (such as the horse) are monogastric herbivores

that digest fibrous plant material by anaerobic fermentation in the
cecum and colon. The short-chain fatty acids produced are
absorbed through the mucosa. Firmicutes are the main bacterial

phylum (especially Clostridia), but the predominant organism is a
member of the Verrucomicrobia. Other phyla found in the equine
large intestine include Spirochaetes, Fibrobacteres, Ruminococcus,
and Bacteroidetes. Under certain conditions such as carbohydrate
overload, the microbiota of the large gut change drastically, as a

result of which their pH drops, and bacterial PAMPs escape into the
bloodstream. This can result in the development of acute laminitis
(Chapter 7).

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