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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Accuracy of a Mouse Bioassay for the Diagnosis of Botulism i...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2016; 30(4); 1293-1299; doi: 10.1111/jvim.13950

Accuracy of a Mouse Bioassay for the Diagnosis of Botulism in Horses.

Abstract: The laboratory diagnosis of botulism in horses traditionally has relied upon the mouse bioassay (MBA). The accuracy of this test for the diagnosis of botulism in horses is unknown. Objective: Our goal was to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the MBA on laboratory-processed fecal and gastrointestinal samples for foals and adult horses. Methods: Cases included all horses with a final clinical diagnosis of botulism that were admitted between 1986 and 2011 and had MBA testing performed. Controls included horses without botulism that were admitted during the same time period and had MBA testing performed. Methods: Retrospective study. Horses suspected of having botulism had fecal or (less commonly) gastrointestinal content samples tested using MBA. For every hospitalized botulism suspect, control samples were obtained from ≥1 additional hospitalized horses not suspected to have botulism. Results: One hundred and twenty-nine adult horses and 253 adult controls were identified. Overall sensitivity of the MBA was only 32% but specificity was 97%. Forty-three foal cases and 21 foal controls were evaluated; sensitivity of the MBA was 53% and specificity was 100%. Positive predictive value was substantially higher (100% for foals and 89% for adults) than negative predictive value (51% for foals and 67% for adults). Conclusions: Mouse bioassay has low sensitivity but high specificity for the diagnosis of botulism in horses. Positive results are highly suggestive of botulism but negative results do not exclude the diagnosis. Unaffected horses and foals rarely shed C. botulinum in their feces.
Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2016-04-25 PubMed ID: 27108763PubMed Central: PMC5074318DOI: 10.1111/jvim.13950Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the mouse bioassay (MBA) test for diagnosing botulism in horses. Findings showed that the test displayed high specificity but had low sensitivity, suggesting that while a positive result strongly indicates botulism, a negative result does not necessarily rule out the disease.

Research Methodology

  • The study incorporated cases from 1986 to 2011, including both foals and adult horses that had been tested using the MBA.
  • Horses that were suspected of having botulism served as the test cases. These had their fecal or gastrointestinal content samples tested with the MBA.
  • Control cases were those horses admitted in the same timeframe that were not suspected to have botulism. These horses also underwent the MBA test to act as a contrasting group.
  • The research methodology was a retrospective study design, analyzing past information and results.

Results of the Study

  • A total of 129 adult horses and 253 adult controls, as well as 43 foal cases and 21 foal controls, were evaluated.
  • The overall sensitivity of the MBA, reflecting its ability to correctly identify positives, was 32% for adults and 53% for foals.
  • The test’s specificity, depicting its capacity to correctly identify negatives, was higher at 97% for adults and 100% for foals.
  • The positive predictive value, which is the proportion of positive test results that are truly positive, was 100% for foals and 89% for adults.
  • The negative predictive value, referring to the proportion of negative results that are truly negative, was 51% for foals and 67% for adults.

Conclusions

  • The results of the research showed that the MBA has a high specificity for the diagnosis of botulism in horses, meaning it is reliable in confirming the disease when it presents a positive result.
  • However, the sensitivity of the MBA was low, suggesting that a negative test result does not definitively exclude the diagnosis of the disease.
  • The study also found that unaffected horses and foals rarely excreted the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism, in their feces.

Cite This Article

APA
Johnson AL, McAdams-Gallagher SC, Aceto H. (2016). Accuracy of a Mouse Bioassay for the Diagnosis of Botulism in Horses. J Vet Intern Med, 30(4), 1293-1299. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.13950

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 30
Issue: 4
Pages: 1293-1299

Researcher Affiliations

Johnson, A L
  • Botulism Reference Laboratory, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA.
  • Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA.
McAdams-Gallagher, S C
  • Botulism Reference Laboratory, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA.
Aceto, H
  • Department of Clinical Studies, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, PA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Assay / methods
  • Biological Assay / veterinary
  • Botulinum Toxins / chemistry
  • Botulinum Toxins / toxicity
  • Botulism / diagnosis
  • Botulism / veterinary
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Feces / chemistry
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horses
  • Mice
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

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Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
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