Bacteremia in equine neonatal diarrhea: a retrospective study (1990-2007).

The research study discussed investigates the occurrence and type of bacteremia (bacteria in the bloodstream) in neonatal foals (young horses) presenting with diarrhea. Their findings reveal the most common bacterial organisms found in these foals and suggest that this information should be considered when deciding on antimicrobial treatments.

Objective and Methodology of the Study

• The study aims to uncover the frequency and types of bacteremia in neonatal foals suffering from diarrhea.
• Medical records of 133 foals under 30 days old suffering from diarrhea and treated from January 1990 to September 2007 were examined.

Research Findings

• Out of the 133 foals, 66 (or half of them) were bacteremic upon admission. These samples yielded 75 bacterial isolates.
• In 18 additional foals (13.5%), blood cultures grew coryneform bacteria, a group of bacteria normally found on the skin.
• Nine foals (6.8%) had two or more types of organisms grown in their blood cultures. Remarkably, one foal was found with five, which the researchers interpreted as contamination.
• In 48 foals (36%), no bacterial growth was detected in their admission blood cultures.
• Fungal organisms were not found in any of the cultures.
• Out of all the isolates, 43 were Gram-negative and 32 were Gram-positive bacteria, excluding the coryneform.
• The most common bacterium found was Enterococcus spp., displaying in 22 isolates (29%), trailed by Pantoea agglomerans in 13 isolates (17%).
• The study found no connection between the IgG (an antibody) concentration at admission and the status of the blood culture.
• There was also no relation observed between blood culture status and the survival of the foals till hospital discharge.

Conclusions

• The research concludes that bacteremia is frequently observed in neonatal foals presenting with diarrhea.
• Therefore, when selecting antimicrobial treatments for such cases, these microbial differences should be taken into account.