Bacteraemia in neonatal foals: clinicopathological differences between Gram-positive and Gram-negative infections, and single organism and mixed infections.
Abstract: Treatment for bacteraemia in foals must be started before the identity of the causative organism is known. Information aiding selection of effective antimicrobials should improve outcome. Objective: To describe differences in clinical and clinicopathological data and outcome in foals with bacteraemia due to different classes of bacteria. Methods: Records of foals with a positive blood culture, age < 10 days and presenting to a university hospital 1995-2004, were reviewed. Bacterial culture results, subject details, historical information, physical examination findings at admission and clinicopathological data generated during the first 48 h of hospitalisation were analysed. Results from foals with Gram-positive or Gram-negative organisms, single or mixed organism bacteraemias, and with bacteraemia due to 3 commonly isolated organisms were compared. Results: Eighty-five foals met the inclusion criteria. Gram-negative organisms (n = 59) Gram-positive organisms (n = 13) or multiple organisms (n = 19) were cultured from individual foals. Foals with Gram-negative bacteraemia had lower total white blood cell and lymphocyte counts at admission than did those from which only Gram-positive bacteria were cultured. Mixed organism bacteraemia was associated with tachycardia, increased serum concentrations of sodium, chloride and urea nitrogen, acidosis, respiratory distress, recumbency on admission and nonsurvival. Actinobacillus spp. infections were associated with leucopenia, neutropenia, lymphopenia and depression on hospital admission. Conclusions: Recognising particular patterns of clinical and clinicopathological findings associated with infection with specific groups of bacteria may, in the future, aid antimicrobial selection and influence prognosis in bacteraemic foals.
Publication Date: 2007-01-19 PubMed ID: 17228602DOI: 10.2746/042516407x157585Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article focuses on studying the clinicopathological differences between various types of bacterial infections in foals. The goal here is to gather information that can aid in the early selection of effective antimicrobials before the complete identification of the bacterium causing the infection.
Objective and Methods
The main objective of the study was to describe the variability in clinical and clinicopathological data in cases of foals suffering from bacteraemia caused by different groups of bacteria.
- In order to reach the desired outcomes, the researchers examined records of foals that were less than 10 days old, admitted to a university hospital between 1995 and 2004, and had been tested positive for a blood culture.
- The cultural results of the bacteria, the subject details, historical data, findings of the physical examination at admission, and the clinicopathological data registered during the initial 48 hours of hospitalisation were evaluated to get a comprehensive understanding.
Research Findings
- The subject pool for this study consisted of 85 foals that met the specified criteria. The researchers found distinct differences in the clinicopathological characteristics based on the type of bacteria predominantly present.
- Among these, 59 foals had Gram-negative organisms, 13 had Gram-positive organisms, and 19 had multiple organisms present in their blood stream.
- Foals having a Gram-negative bacteraemia had a lesser total white blood cell and lymphocyte count at the time of admission as opposed to those with only Gram-positive bacteria present.
- Mixed organism bacteraemia in foals was characterized by tachycardia, high sodium, chloride and urea nitrogen serum concentrations, acidosis, respiratory distress, recumbency on admission and higher fatality rates.
- Specifically, infections caused by Actinobacillus spp. were associated with leukopenia, neutropenia, lymphopenia, and instances of depression at the time of admission.
Conclusion
The study provides that recognizing the distinct patterns of clinical and clinicopathological findings that are associated with different groups of bacteria can assist in making better decisions for early antimicrobial selection. This would ultimately lead to a better prognosis in bacteraemic foals in the future.
Cite This Article
APA
Corley KT, Pearce G, Magdesian KG, Wilson WD.
(2007).
Bacteraemia in neonatal foals: clinicopathological differences between Gram-positive and Gram-negative infections, and single organism and mixed infections.
Equine Vet J, 39(1), 84-89.
https://doi.org/10.2746/042516407x157585 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Referral Hospital, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Bacteremia / diagnosis
- Bacteremia / drug therapy
- Bacteremia / microbiology
- Bacteremia / veterinary
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Gram-Negative Bacteria / classification
- Gram-Negative Bacteria / isolation & purification
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / blood
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / diagnosis
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / microbiology
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / veterinary
- Gram-Positive Bacteria / classification
- Gram-Positive Bacteria / isolation & purification
- Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / blood
- Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / diagnosis
- Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / microbiology
- Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Leukocyte Count / veterinary
- Lymphocyte Count / veterinary
- Survival Analysis
- Treatment Outcome
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Bookbinder LC, Mani R, Carr EA. Antibiograms of field and hospital acquired equine neonatal bacterial fluid cultures in the Midwestern United States: 149 samples (2007-2018). J Vet Intern Med 2023 May-Jun;37(3):1193-1200.
- Gomez DE, Wong D, MacNicol J, Dembek K. The fecal bacterial microbiota of healthy and sick newborn foals. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jan;37(1):315-322.
- Taylor S. A review of equine sepsis. Equine Vet Educ 2015 Feb;27(2):99-109.
- Sheats MK. A Comparative Review of Equine SIRS, Sepsis, and Neutrophils. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:69.
- Cohen ND, Bourquin JR, Bordin AI, Kuskie KR, Brake CN, Weaver KB, Liu M, Felippe MJ, Kogut MH. Intramuscular administration of a synthetic CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide modulates functional responses of neutrophils of neonatal foals. PLoS One 2014;9(10):e109865.
- Bertin FR, Squires JM, Kritchevsky JE, Taylor SD. Clinical findings and survival in 56 sick neonatal New World camelids. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):368-74.
- Bengtsson B, Greko C. Antibiotic resistance--consequences for animal health, welfare, and food production. Ups J Med Sci 2014 May;119(2):96-102.
- Irvine KL, Hopkins LJ, Gangloff M, Bryant CE. The molecular basis for recognition of bacterial ligands at equine TLR2, TLR1 and TLR6. Vet Res 2013 Jul 4;44(1):50.
- Werners AH, Bryant CE. Pattern recognition receptors in equine endotoxaemia and sepsis. Equine Vet J 2012 Jul;44(4):490-8.
- Castagnetti C, Veronesi MC. Prognostic factors in the sick neonatal foal. Vet Res Commun 2008 Sep;32 Suppl 1:S87-91.
- Chen LT, Wesdorp E, Jager M, Siegers EW, Theelen MJP, Besselink N, Vermeulen C, Zomer AL, Broens EM, Wagenaar JA, de Ridder J. Bacterial cell-free DNA profiling reveals the co-elevation of multiple bacteria in newborn foals with suspected sepsis. iScience 2025 Dec 19;28(12):114005.
- Graham AE, Colgate VA, Floyd EF. Antibiograms of Bacterial Cultures From Equine Neonates at a United Kingdom Hospital: 381 Samples (2018-2023). J Vet Intern Med 2025 Sep-Oct;39(5):e70198.
- Castelain DL, Dufourni A, Pas ML, Bokma J, de Bruijn E, Paulussen E, Lefère L, van Loon G, Pardon B. Retrospective cohort study on diseases and risk factors associated with death in hospitalized neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Jan-Feb;39(1):e17269.
- Samuels AN, Kamr AM, Reed SM, Slovis NM, Hostnik LD, Burns TA, Toribio RE. Association of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio with outcome in sick hospitalized neonatal foals. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Mar-Apr;38(2):1196-1206.
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