Corynebacterium equi Infections in Horses, 1958-1984: A Review of 131 Cases.
Abstract: Of 131 cases of Corynebacterium equi infection in horses submitted for necropsy to the Ontario Veterinary College or Veterinary Laboratory Services, OMAF, Guelph, Ontario from 1958 to 1984, 115 were diagnosed as suppurative pneumonia, and of these 55 had associated ulcerative enterocolitis. Only five animals had intestinal involvement without pulmonary lesions. The remaining 11 cases included arthritis/cellulitis, skin abscesses and submandibular lymphadenitis. While the lung, intestine and associated lymph nodes yielded C. equi most frequently, in 21% of cases C. equi was also cultured from parenchymatous organs (spleen, liver or kidney) or blood. Corynebacterium equi infection accounted for 10% of all foals submitted for postmortem examination and 45% of all foals with pneumonia. Affected foals were one to four months of age. Submissions occurred between the months of May and August with a peak during July. There was a significantly greater prevalence of C. equi infection in Standardbreds when compared with other breeds. Of foals in this study, 36% were from farms which had had other horses succumb to this disease. Of the foals with pulmonary involvement, 21% did not have fever or clinical signs referable to the respiratory or gastrointestinal systems, findings which indicated that a large percentage of cases were subclinical.
Publication Date: 1986-05-01 PubMed ID: 17422658PubMed Central: PMC1680250
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
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 article focuses on a detailed review of 131 recorded cases of Corynebacterium equi infection in horses from 1958 to 1984, revealing disease patterns and common comorbidities. The study also points out a high prevalence in Standardbred horses and associations between disease presentation and age, symptoms, and time of year.
Study Samples and Findings
- The research study reviews 131 cases of C. equi infection observed in horses in Ontario, Canada, from 1958 to 1984. The horses were presented for post-mortem examinations in Ontario Veterinary College or Veterinary Laboratory Services.
- 115 cases were diagnosed as suppurative pneumonia, a severe type of lung infection characterized by the formation of pus. Of these, 55 had associated ulcerative enterocolitis, a condition characterized by inflammation and sores in the intestine.
- Only five horses in the study had intestinal complications without showing lung infections or pulmonary lesions.
- The rest of the 11 cases were a mixture of diseases that included arthritis, cellulitis, skin abscesses, and submandibular lymphadenitis – a swelling of the lymph nodes under the jaws.
Pathogen Distribution and Disease Prevalence
- The study reveals that while the lung, intestine, and associated lymph nodes were the most common areas for C. equi presence, in 21% of cases, C. equi was also found in other organs like the spleen, liver, or kidney, as well as in the blood.
- C. equi infections contributed to 10% of all the post-mortem examinations of foals and accounted for 45% of all foals diagnosed with pneumonia.
- The most affected victims were young foals aged between one to four months.
- A rise was noted in disease cases from May to August, peaking in July. There was a significantly greater disease prevalence in Standardbred horses compared to other breeds.
- Approximately 36% of the affected foals were from farms that previously reported horses succumbing to C. equi infection.
Subclinical Cases of Corynebacterium equi Infection
- The researchers noted that 21% of foals with lung infections presented no fever or clinical signs related to respiratory or gastrointestinal systems, indicating that a considerable portion of C. equi infections may remain subclinical, i.e., undetected due to lack of observable symptoms.
Overall, the study reveals important insights into the epidemiology of C. equi infections in horses, highlighting the need for increased vigilance, especially in younger foals or farms with previous infection incidences. Since a considerable portion of the disease cases remain subclinical, accurate diagnostic tests are critical to ensure effective control and treatment of C. equi infections in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Zink MC, Yager JA, Smart NL.
(1986).
Corynebacterium equi Infections in Horses, 1958-1984: A Review of 131 Cases.
Can Vet J, 27(5), 213-217.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
References
This article includes 16 references
- Johnson JA, Prescott JF, Markham RJ. The pathology of experimental Corynebacterium equi infection in foals following intrabronchial challenge.. Vet Pathol 1983 Jul;20(4):440-9.
- Johnson JA, Prescott JF, Markham RJ. The pathology of experimental Corynebacterium equi infection in foals following intragastric challenge.. Vet Pathol 1983 Jul;20(4):450-9.
- Martens RJ, Fiske RA, Renshaw HW. Experimental subacute foal pneumonia induced by aerosol administration of Corynebacterium equi.. Equine Vet J 1982 Apr;14(2):111-6.
- Woolcock JB, Mutimer MD. Corynebacterium equi in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants.. Vet Res Commun 1981 Apr;4(4):291-4.
- Smith BP, Robinson RC. Studies of an outbreak of Corynebacterium equi pneumonia in foals.. Equine Vet J 1981 Oct;13(4):223-8.
- Firth EC, Dik KJ, Goedegebuure SA, Hagens FM, Verberne LR, Merkens HW, Kersjes AW. Polyarthritis and bone infection in foals.. Zentralbl Veterinarmed B 1980;27(2):102-24.
- Etherington WG, Prescott JF. Corynebacterium equi cellulitis associated with Strongyloides penetration in a foal.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1980 Nov 15;177(10):1025-7.
- Smith BP, Jang S. Isolation of Corynebacterium equi from a foal with an ulcerated leg wound and a pectoral abscess.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1980 Oct 1;177(7):623-4.
- Roberts MC, Hodgson DR, Kelly WR. Corynebacterium equi infection in an adult horse.. Aust Vet J 1980 Feb;56(2):96-7.
- Woolcock JB, Mutimer MD, Farmer AM. Epidemiology of Corynebacterium equi in horses.. Res Vet Sci 1980 Jan;28(1):87-90.
- Mutimer MD, Woolcock JB. Corynebacterium equi in cattle and pigs.. Tijdschr Diergeneeskd 1980 Jan 15;105(2):25-7.
- Knight HD. Corynebacterial infections in the horse: problems of prevention.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1969 Jul 15;155(2):446-52.
- Van Etta LL, Filice GA, Ferguson RM, Gerding DN. Corynebacterium equi: a review of 12 cases of human infection.. Rev Infect Dis 1983 Nov-Dec;5(6):1012-8.
- Prescott JF, Travers M, Yager-Johnson JA. Epidemiological survey of Corynebacterium equi infections on five Ontario horse farms.. Can J Comp Med 1984 Jan;48(1):10-3.
- Sippel WL, Keahey EE, Bullard TL. Corynebacterium infection in foals: etiology, pathogenesis, and laboratory diagnosis.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1968 Dec 15;153(12):1610-3.
- Elissalde GS, Renshaw HW, Walberg JA. Corynebacterium equi: an interhost review with emphasis on the foal.. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 1980;3(4):433-45.
Citations
This article has been cited 16 times.- Oliver-Espinosa O. Foal Diarrhea: Established and Postulated Causes, Prevention, Diagnostics, and Treatments. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 2018 Apr;34(1):55-68.
- Chandramani-Shivalingappa P, Bhandari M, Wiechert SA, Gilbertie J, Jones DE, Sponseller BA. Induction of Reactive Intermediates and Autophagy-Related Proteins upon Infection of Macrophages with Rhodococcus equi. Scientifica (Cairo) 2017;2017:8135737.
- Coulson GB, Agarwal S, Hondalus MK. Characterization of the role of the pathogenicity island and vapG in the virulence of the intracellular actinomycete pathogen Rhodococcus equi. Infect Immun 2010 Aug;78(8):3323-34.
- Frederick J, Giguère S, Sanchez LC. Infectious agents detected in the feces of diarrheic foals: a retrospective study of 233 cases (2003-2008). J Vet Intern Med 2009 Nov-Dec;23(6):1254-60.
- Muscatello G, Gilkerson JR, Browning GF. Detection of virulent Rhodococcus equi in exhaled air samples from naturally infected foals. J Clin Microbiol 2009 Mar;47(3):734-7.
- Vengust M, Staempfli H, Prescott JF. Rhodococcus equi pleuropneumonia in an adult horse. Can Vet J 2002 Sep;43(9):706-8.
- Patel A. Pyogranulomatous skin disease and cellulitis in a cat caused by Rhodococcus equi. J Small Anim Pract 2002 Mar;43(3):129-32.
- Hondalus MK, Diamond MS, Rosenthal LA, Springer TA, Mosser DM. The intracellular bacterium Rhodococcus equi requires Mac-1 to bind to mammalian cells. Infect Immun 1993 Jul;61(7):2919-29.
- Hondalus MK, Mosser DM. Survival and replication of Rhodococcus equi in macrophages. Infect Immun 1994 Oct;62(10):4167-75.
- Zink MC, Yager JA. Experimental infection of piglets by aerosols of Rhodococcus equi. Can J Vet Res 1987 Jul;51(3):290-6.
- Chirino-Trejo JM, Prescott JF, Yager JA. Protection of foals against experimental Rhodococcus equi pneumonia by oral immunization. Can J Vet Res 1987 Oct;51(4):444-7.
- Tsukamura M, Komatsuzaki C, Sakai R, Kaneda K, Kudo T, Seino A. Mesenteric lymphadenitis of swine caused by Rhodococcus sputi. J Clin Microbiol 1988 Jan;26(1):155-7.
- Prescott JF. Rhodococcus equi: an animal and human pathogen. Clin Microbiol Rev 1991 Jan;4(1):20-34.
- Boneva-Marutsova B, Marutsov P, Kerner K, Zhelev G. First Detection of Rhodococcus equi in a Foal in Bulgaria-A Case Report. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jul 12;15(14).
- Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Willingham-Lane JM. Antimicrobial Resistance in Rhodococcus equi. Microbiol Spectr 2017 Oct;5(5).
- Schlusselhuber M, Jung S, Bruhn O, Goux D, Leippe M, Leclercq R, Laugier C, Grötzinger J, Cauchard J. In vitro potential of equine DEFA1 and eCATH1 as alternative antimicrobial drugs in rhodococcosis treatment. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2012 Apr;56(4):1749-55.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
