A clinical trial of probiotic administration for prevention of Salmonella shedding in the postoperative period in horses with colic.

The research article involves a clinical trial that aimed to study the effects of probiotics on the fecal shedding of Salmonella in horses who had undergone surgery for colic. The study found that commercially available probiotics did not significantly affect Salmonella shedding, post-operative diarrhea, the length of antibiotic treatment, or hospitalization duration.

Objective of the Research

• The main purpose of the research was to test the impact of probiotic administration on Salmonella shedding in horse feces following surgery for colic.
• The study also sought to assess the effects of these probiotics on rates of post-operative diarrhea, the duration of antibiotic treatment, and the length of hospital stay.

Methodology and Design of the Research

• For this study, the researchers adopted a double-blind, prospective methodology, with 200 horses undergoing colic surgery serving as subjects.
• Two commonly available horse probiotics were administered orally once daily for a week after surgery.
• Fecal cultures were gathered daily for 10 days following surgery in an attempt to detect the presence of Salmonella.

Findings of the Research

• 186 patients completing the prescribed treatment regimen were included in the final results.
• The results shown indicated that the commercial probiotic formulations had no significant effect on the shedding of Salmonella, the prevalence of diarrhea, the duration of antibiotic treatment, or the length of hospitalization.
• About one-fifth of the horses yielded positive fecal cultures for Salmonella. Most of these (74%) were classified as asymptomatic carriers, showing no symptoms of illness.
• Fluid diarrhea was detected in 26% of all horses after surgery, with only 12% of these horses having positive fecal cultures for Salmonella.
• The most common strain of Salmonella identified was Salmonella krefeld, which formed 24 out of 39 isolates.
• Among the various gastrointestinal issues, horses with impactions from feed and sand were more likely to shed Salmonella.

Implications of the Research

• The findings showed that probiotics did not have a significant impact on the rate of fecal Salmonella shedding or on other post-operative concerns such as diarrhea, antibiotic treatment length, and hospital stay duration.
• This suggests that these probiotics may not be as effective as once thought in the post-operative care of horses with colic.