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The Microbiota and Equine Health and Performance

Earn up to 1.5 RACE CE Credits with this free, three-part webinar series.​

Dr. Gerard Clarke of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science at University College Cork, with Leah Mitchell, DVM, presents a discussion about the role of the gut microbiota in health and disease and the impact of the microbiota on performance.

After participating in this three-part webinar series, you will:

  • Be able to describe the role of the microbiota in health and disease and identify the research strategies applied in microbiota science.
  • Gain an understanding of the relationship between the bacterial environment in the gut and the brain, including both cognition and emotion.
  • Understand the extent to which the gut microbiota impacts brain function and behavior such as stress and anxiety.
  • Develop a basic understanding of various signaling pathways along the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
  • Evaluate the impact of stress on the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
  • Learn about current research on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, particularly in the areas of stress and disease.
  • Assess the potential therapeutic implications arising from microbial regulation of host physiology and behavior and learn how to leverage the microbiota to enhance resilience.
  • Gain knowledge about various microbiota-centric approaches to treatment.
  • Consider the implications for equine practice.

PART 1: Growing up with Microbes

AAVSB RACE Accredited for 0.5 CE Credits

This course provides an overview of the microbiota and the “gut-brain axis.” The presentation focuses on three subject-matter areas in particular:

  1. The basic functions of the role of the microbiota in health, disease, mood, and emotion.
  2. How the microbiota is assembled and defined, and what factors influence its composition.
  3. The direct connection between the population of bacteria and other microorganisms in the gut and the brain, and its relationship to both basic and complex brain functions.

PART 2: Germ-Free Animal Models

AAVSB RACE Accredited for 0.5 CE Credits

This course delves into the current research exploring the two-way relationship between the microbiota and the brain. Much of what we know comes from studies of germ-free animals, but still translates to animals generally. The presentation will then discuss implications for equine health and performance, as well as the equine practitioner.

PART 3: The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis

AAVSB RACE Accredited for 0.5 CE Credits

This course explores translational implications, clinical applications and therapeutic opportunities of microbiota research for both mental and physical health care. Potential medical interventions are addressed, including nutritional, prebiotic and probiotic therapies. Implications for the equine practitioner are discussed.

About the Webinar Presenters

Gerard Clarke, PhD

Gerard Clarke, PhD

Dr. Clarke is a Lecturer for the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland, where he was previously a Research Fellow. He was also a Lecturer for the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, as well as a Senior Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the APC Microbiome Institute at UCC. He is currently involved in a research project funded by the US Airforce Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) on the microbiome gut-brain axis, which you will learn more about in this three-part webinar series.
Leah Mitchell DVM

Leah Mitchell, DVM

Dr. Mitchell is Vice President of Veterinary Medicine for Freedom Health and also operates her own equine practice and breeding center, specializing in performance and reproductive medicine. Her farm stands approximately four stallions every year, foals out 20-30 mares and breeds 80-100 mares every season.

Earn Free CE Credit

The Microbiota and Equine Health & Performance webinar series courses meet the requirements for a total of 1.5 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize AAVSB’s RACE approval. You will be provided with a link to a short online test at the conclusion of each of the three webinars. You must pass with 80 percent of the questions answered correctly to receive your certificate.

Participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education.

Additional Resources on the Equine Microbiota

White Paper: The Gut and the Immune System

In this free white paper we look at how microbes in the equine gut collaborate with the immune system to enhance nutritive uptake while protecting against infection.
Download

Disease Library: Dysbiosis and the Microbiota

Dysbiosis refers to a profound imbalance in the intestinal microbiota which precipitates changes in the normal health and function of the gastrointestinal tract. In horses, this may manifest in colitis, laminitis and colic and other clinical situations.
Read More

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